


Battle Scars

by Sportscandycollective



Series: Fall Greater Than He Ever Knew AU [5]
Category: LazyTown
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Danger, Drama, Fluff and Angst, Gun Violence, Hallucinations, M/M, Rebellion, Sequel, Uprising, Violence, demons of the past
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-31
Updated: 2017-01-12
Packaged: 2018-09-13 20:36:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 46,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9141295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sportscandycollective/pseuds/Sportscandycollective
Summary: The sequel to A Fall Greater Than He Ever Knew, taking place around the same time as that fic's ending.After the League of Villains take over LazyTown, Robbie Rotten and Sportacus must find a way to free the town, while also dealing with their pasts and the trauma from recent events. Meanwhile, the kids begin to stage their own revolution.NOTICE: PLEASE DO NOT REPOST MY WORK ONTO OTHER WEBSITES.





	1. Ripples in the Pond

The sound had shattered her chance of a restful night of sleep.  
It was booming, the sound vibrating through every bone in her body.  
Stephanie found the sound akin to fireworks, but something within her told her that that couldn’t be true. It was around midnight when she first heard the sound. It jolted her from her dreams, sending her heart into overdrive. She clenched onto her blanket as she heard the sounds of screaming, followed by more firework-like sounds. She ducked further under her covers, covering her head with her pillow, squeezing her eyes shut as she tried to block the terrifying noise from her mind. She shook, her thoughts growing more anxious and scattered. What were those popping sounds? Who was screaming? And most of all, is Robbie and Sportacus okay? She trembled and quivered throughout the night, keeping her from sleep.

Getting up the next morning was quite the challenge. Stephanie barely managed to bring herself to crawl out from under her blanket shield, her bright pink hair sticking up in different directions. Her eyes felt heavy and she could still feel the shakes traveling through her body. She nervously got out of bed, looking out the window. Everything seemed normal. The sky was a bright, robin’s eggshell blue. A few butterflies fluttered lackadaisically past her window. Rubbing her eyes, she grabbed her pink robe and made her way to the kitchen.

Her uncle Milford was already there, hastily making today’s breakfast. The sound of her footsteps drew his attention.  
“Oh! G-Good morning Stephanie!” he said chipperly.  
“Morning Uncle.” Stephanie responded wearily.  
Mayor Meanswell looked concerned. “Did you not sleep well last night?”  
Stephanie shook her head. “No, I was kept up all night. I heard these weird popping sounds. They were really loud. Did you hear them Uncle?”  
Mayor Meanswell’s face paled at her statement. “Uh, no…no I didn’t hear a, um, popping sound. Perhaps you were hearing things?”  
Stephanie sat down on a barstool, giving a suspicious look to her uncle. “I know I wasn’t hearing things, it was too loud for me to imagine it. How did you not hear the popping? It sounded like firecrackers!”  
Mayor Meanswell served her a plate of eggs, toast, bacon, and a few slices of melon. “I have an idea Stephanie. How about you and I spend the day together? We could play some board games! Something tells me, that today would be a great day to spend inside!”  
Stephanie was now even more suspicious of her uncle. “Why? It’s a beautiful, sunny day outside. And I was hoping to meet up with Trixie and Pixel and play some soccer.” She said, as she ate up her eggs and melon.  
The Mayor became more insistent. “I don’t think so Stephanie. I really feel you should stay inside. Now how about you hop along, get dressed, and I’ll go pull out the Monopoly board, hmm?”

Stephanie sighed, and gave her uncle a smile. “Alright, I’ll be right back.”  
Mayor Meanswell smiled and hummed as he made his way to the closet. Stephanie walked back to her room, pulling out her clothes for the day. She threw on one of her signature dresses, her baggy socks, and a pair of pink sneakers, when she paused.  
“I’ve got to figure out what’s going on.” She told herself. She peeked out through the crack of her room’s door. She could see her uncle happily setting up the Monopoly board. She wouldn’t have much time, but maybe just enough to at least get an idea of what those sounds were last night. She grabbed some various supplies (rope, flashlight, notepad and pen, a baseball bat) and stuffed them into her knapsack. She pried open her window and prepared to exit. Before she left, she whispered, “Sorry Uncle.”

Out the window she went, sneaking through the front yard and over the picket fence. She speedily dashed out past the next house, breathing a sigh of relief as she was now outside of her uncle’s range of sight. With her backpack slung over her shoulder, Stephanie began to investigate. As she strolled along down the road, she at first didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. The sports park, while empty, still looked as it usually did. She looked around, not seeing much out of the ordinary. The only thing that caught her attention for a split moment was the discarded wrapper of a fudge bar, but she decided that wasn’t too important.

As she crept through the park, looking for any hint of unusual activity, she noticed a few of the bushes and grass looked a bit trampled. She pawed around, seeing the indentations of footprints in the usually pristine grass lawn. “Weird, these bushes look crushed.” She muttered to herself. Realizing that the bushes appeared to be crushed in such a way to clear someone’s line of sight, she stood where the footprint indentations were and faced the appropriate direction. It was then that she realized that all the markings and crushed plants faced towards a street corner. The street corner that housed the café. The café where the kids had set up Robbie and Sportacus’s first date.

She rushed out of the park towards the café. She froze and gasped in shock when she saw the state of the place. Bullets had shattered and left holes in the storefront’s window and brick walls. The boombox Trixie had lent Sportacus was nearly demolished, left in little plastic and metal pieces on the ground. The table was a splintery mess, and shards of glass were all that was left of the candle and its holder. As she stepped closer, she heard a muffled crunch. She lifted her foot to see the battered and smashed remains of a bouquet of flowers. The string lights hung pathetically from their unstable canopy, most of the lightbulbs being destroyed. It looked like a scene straight from one of Pixel’s video games, except it was real. Stephanie was seeing it with her own two eyes.

“What…what in the world happened?” she said to herself quietly. She tiptoed amongst the broken glass, noticing the many bullet casings left strewn about on the ground. It was as she got closer to look at the shattered storefront that she saw the red markings on the wall. She touched the maroon stains and pulled her hand back, the blood draining from her face once she realized what it was. Her head spun and she felt herself grow dizzy. These were all the definite signs of a shoot-out. A shoot-out. In LazyTown.

She ran around the corner to try and steady herself, only to notice a trail of blood leading further down the alley. Grabbing her flashlight, she walked into the dark passageway, the bloodstains continuing further and further along. She also noticed more and more bullet shell casings. Her mind was suddenly rushed with the horrific imaginings of what could’ve happened last night. She imagined Robbie and Sportacus being chased by shadowy bad guys, the bad guys opening fire upon them as they ducked and ran through the maze-like alleys. She felt herself begin to shake again, and she shook herself out of her trance. “Focus Stephanie. We have to keep looking.” She assured herself.

She pulled out a magnifying glass and crept along, examining the ever-continuing blood splatters. However, she didn’t get much further, as she found herself suddenly being lifted upwards.  
“W-What? Hey!! Let me go!” she cried. She turned and gasped in fear as she saw who had nabbed her.  
It was a large man, decked out in dark gray uniform, his short hair slicked back. He sneered, grabbing at her arms to restrain her. Stephanie continued to kick and scream until another man gripped her jaw and stared her right in the eyes.  
“You better calm yourself down, you little brat. We aren’t afraid, and have full permission, to hurt you if you continue to resist.”  
Stephanie trembled, her movements slowing down. She still wasn’t happy, but she knew a threat when she saw one.  
The second man talked into his headset. “Sir, we found a little spy snooping around the scene? What do you want us to do?”  
A muffled voice responded over his headset. The man nodded and pointed at the man holding Stephanie.  
“Looks like the brat is let off easy this time. We’ve been told to bring her home.”  
The first man nodded and held Stephanie as she continued to fight and scream.

The men finally brought Stephanie back to her uncle’s home, where Mayor Meanswell was waiting for her. As soon as she was let down, she ran into her uncle’s open arms.  
“Oh Stephanie! I was so worried about you! I told you not to go outside!” he said frantically.  
Stephanie nodded. “I’m so sorry uncle, but I just had to know what was going on.” She confessed.  
The two men approached Mayor Meanswell, looking down upon him with stern faces. “You should work harder to restrain your niece, Mayor Meanswell. She was lucky that we were told to go easy on her. Next time she won’t be so lucky.”  
As Stephanie lifted her head, she noticed that the two men were armed with rifles. She pulled away from her uncle and stared up defiantly at the agents.  
“Who are you? And what have you done to Robbie and Sportacus?” she asked angrily.  
“S-Stephanie please! Get inside!” Milford said fearfully.  
The first agent sneered. “You’ve got a lot of nerve, young lady. Who are you to be throwing around accusations like that?”  
“I want to know! They’re my friends! What did you do to them?!” she asked again, on the verge of tears.  
The second agent’s mouth twisted into a wicked smile. “If she’s so curious Norm, then why not just tell her? It won’t make anything any better, won’t change much. They’ll find out soon enough anyways.”

The first agent, now known to be Norm, leaned down to Stephanie’s level, a cocky smile on his face.  
“We’re agents from the organization known as the L.O.V., or the League of Villains. This town is under our jurisdiction now, so you better start paying attention you little snot. We’re the ones in charge now.”  
Stephanie shook her head. “I don’t care who you are! Where’s Robbie and Sportacus?”  
“Stephanie!” the Mayor said, sweat beading on his brow as he saw the agents becoming increasingly more agitated.

The second agent laughed, as he also bent down to look at Stephanie.  
“Your little friend, the sports elf? He was shot full of holes last night. With nice little iron bullets, filled with poison. Judging on the amount of time it’s been, I think I’m confident to say that your friend’s pushing up daisies. He’s dead, Pinky.”  
In that moment, Stephanie’s whole world shattered. She could feel time slow to a standstill, her heart dropping down past her stomach. She shook her head slowly. “N-No, no that can’t be. R-Robbie! He wouldn’t-“  
“Heh, that excuse for a villain? He skipped out of town the first chance he got. He’s probably hundreds of miles away at this point. And he’s not coming back.”  
“No! No, Robbie wouldn’t do that! He wouldn’t leave town and he certainly wouldn’t let Sportacus just die! You’re lying! You’re LYING!” she said tearfully, growing increasingly more hysterical.

The first agent just shook his head. “Deny it all you want, doesn’t change what happened. Your friend is gone, and so is your local hero. You’ve got nothing left, and no one’s going to help you. Better get used to it.”  
The agents turned around and left, with one of the agents giving Mayor Meanswell a stern glare before leaving. The Mayor, seriously shaken up by the encounter, gently approached Stephanie, who was on the verge of tears. He placed his hand upon her shoulder.  
“Stephanie…I’m so sorry.” He said quietly.  
“He’s lying Uncle. He can’t be gone. Not like that. He’s still here, he’s just…just hiding somewhere. Right, Uncle?” she said softly, her eyes glistening with tears as she looked at him.  
Mayor Meanswell paused. He looked sadly at his niece. “Oh Stephanie, how I wish I could tell you that. But it wouldn’t be right to lie that blatantly to you. I’m so sorry.”

Stephanie finally broke. She hugged her uncle tightly, crying uncontrollably into his shoulder. Mayor Meanswell cradled his sobbing niece, helping her inside. They sat on the floor, right in front of the door, Mayor Meanswell rocking Stephanie back and forth as she continued to weep.

Almost an hour passed before finally Stephanie began to calm down. She hiccupped and let out a few individual sobs as Mayor Meanswell continued to rock her back and forth.  
“It’s going to be okay, Stephanie. Everything’s going to be okay.” He said calmingly.  
Stephanie sniffed. “W-What are we going to do uncle? Without Sportacus, who’s going to help us?”  
Mayor Meanswell sighed tiredly, hugging his niece. “I don’t know Stephanie. But we’ll figure something out, I just know it.”

As Stephanie rested close to the mayor, Mayor Meanswell could only think of how much LazyTown needed a hero in this moment, and that they didn’t have one. LazyTown was in trouble, and no one was going to hear their call.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go! The sequel to A Fall Greater Than He Ever Knew!
> 
> I hope you all enjoy this story. Thank you for reading and hope you enjoy the next chapters!


	2. Few Steps Forward

“Alright Sports, I’m ready. Just let me know when you’re going to start walking over.”

Sportacus held onto a bar that Robbie had installed onto the wall. He took a deep breath, exhaling.   
“I’m ready.” He asserted.  
With a bit of concerted effort, he took a step forward. Stiff and slightly disjointed, Sportacus let go of the bar and made his way across the ship’s floor. Robbie hovered close, arms open and outstretched, ready in case Sportacus collapsed again. As Sportacus got close to the border between the controls and the wood floor, he could feel his legs wobble slightly.   
“Sportacus…” Robbie said nervously.  
“I’ve got this.” Sportacus said stubbornly. He took the last step forward, successfully traversing the wood floor. His legs felt heavy and wobbled more in protest. He gave Robbie an excited smile before his legs gave out again. Robbie ran over and caught him.  
“You did amazing, Sportacus!” Robbie said encouragingly.  
Sportacus shook his head, frowning. “I’m still so slow and sluggish.”  
Robbie hugged him. “Sportacus, it’s amazing that you’re even walking at this point. You’ve only been resting for, what, a day?” He laughed. “I think you’re being a bit hard on yourself. You’re getting over being poisoned, remember?”  
Sportacus’s frown persisted as he looked out the window. “I know. But, I just can't take too long to recover. LazyTown could be in trouble, and I'm worried.”

Robbie’s smile faded. He looked out the window as well. “I get it, I’m worried too.” He looked back to Sportacus. “But you can’t rush your recovery. You won’t be able to help people to the best of your abilities if you still need help yourself.”   
His smile returned and he rubbed Sportacus’s arms supportively. “Just let me handle the hero work for now, okay?”  
Sportacus thought for a moment, then gave Robbie the puppy dog eyes. “May I at least go out and survey the town? Make sure everyone’s okay?”  
Robbie gave him a look. “Sportacus, you’re still working on walking across the ship. What makes you think I’d agree to let you walk across a balcony thousands of feet up in the air on a moving airship?”  
“It was worth a try?” Sportacus said with a small smile.  
Robbie couldn’t help but smile back. “You’re such a doof.” He shook his head. “I’ll go out and check on the town. If I see anything noteworthy, I’ll let you know. But only if you take it easy, okay?”  
Sportacus chuckled quietly. “Well…all right. But you’ll let me know if anything happens, right?”  
Robbie drew a cross across his chest. “Cross my heart.”  
Sportacus nodded and smiled. He sat down, flinching at the pain that resonated through his body.   
He sighed. “It’s weird to have to just sit. I’ll admit, I’m not comfortable with this feeling.”  
Robbie dug around and found Sportacus’s telescope. “It’s not permanent, so don’t get too used to it.” He said teasingly, giving him a playful wink.

Sportacus shook his head and smiled. Robbie stood by the door, waiting.   
“Door!” Sportacus called out. The door opened up. Robbie uneasily walked onto the door. His fear of heights kicked in each time he took a step. How in the world did Sportacus do this without feeling like he’d topple over the edge? He inched closer to the end, fighting the urge to sit on his knees and dig his finger nails into the surface of the door-turned-platform.   
He pulled out the telescope, spooked for a moment as a little speaker popped out the side. So that’s how Sportadork could hear what was happening on the ground. Robbie held the telescope up to his eye, scanning the town. He didn’t see much at first, but his eye was soon caught by the mayor’s stage being set up by a few L.O.V. agents.

On the ground, a team of L.O.V. agents flanked a mysterious man in a gray suit. He had pronounced jowls, thin, slicked gray hair, and a slight belly. He couldn’t be any younger than his mid-50’s.   
“Get everyone out here for a town meeting.” He commanded an agent. The agent nodded and ran off, relaying the instructions to a few other agents.  
It only took a few minutes for everyone in town to gather around the stage. The Mayor was looking ashamedly down at the ground. Stephanie frowned, her arms crossed, as she watched the mysterious man take the stage.   
The man tapped the microphone, checking for power. “Good morning, citizens of LazyTown. As some of you have been made aware, we are members of the organization known as the League of Villains. My name is Mr. Steerpike, and I am now in charge of your little dirt town.”  
“No, you’re not in charge! Mayor Meanswell is!” Ziggy piped up.  
“Ziggy, please.” Mayor Meanswell said nervously.

Mr. Steerpike’s eyebrows lowered. “Mayor Meanswell has been asked to abdicate his position in favor of presence of the L.O.V. in this town. As you can see…” he said, gesturing to the multiple guards carrying rifles. “…we have jurisdiction here in LazyTown. From now on, we’ll dictate what happens in this town, and how its residents will conduct themselves.”  
“You won’t get away with this! Sportacus will stop you! He always does!” Trixie spat.  
“Children, please be quiet…” Mayor Meanswell hushed, sweat rolling down his forehead.  
Mr. Steerpike frowned, looking demeaningly at Trixie. “Sportacus is dead, little girl. He’s not coming to help you. Not now, not ever.”  
Trixie’s face paled. She shook her head furiously. “No! You’re lying!”  
“Oh? Why don’t you ask your pink friend there? She’d be able to back up my statement.”  
Trixie turned to Stephanie, tears brimming in her eyes. “Come on Pinky, tell me that he’s lying! He’s got to be, he has to be!”

Stephanie looked down sadly. She couldn’t bear to look her friend in the eyes. “Trixie…I saw blood on the ground near where Robbie and Sportacus had their date. I saw bullet holes in the walls of the café. I…I don’t think I could truthfully say that Sportacus is still alive.”  
Trixie shook her head. Stephanie’s words reverberated through the crowd, resulting in cries and shocked gasps from all the kids.   
“No…this can’t be happening…” Trixie said quietly.  
“It can, and you can all deal with it later. In the meantime, let’s get down to business.” Mr. Steerpike said flatly.   
He pulled out a large ream of paper, pulling a paper from the stack.   
“As per our mission to complete LazyTown’s transition back to its original lazy status, we are enforcing a curfew of 12:00 am. We also are enforcing a strict protocol of lazy behavior. Any person engaged in physical activity outside of the set boundaries will face immediate and appropriate punishment. All fruits and vegetables have also been registered as forbidden imports in LazyTown and all present vegetables and fruits will be destroyed. That is all.”

The citizens looked up in horror, save for Stephanie, who continued to stare down Mr. Steerpike, and the agents, who looked flabbergasted at the ridiculousness of the plan. One agent ran up to Mr. Steerpike.  
“Uh, sir? Is that really all we’re trying to do here? Just make everyone be lazy?”  
Mr. Steerpike stopped and looked the agent in the eyes. “Tell me, do you like your head agent?”  
“Well, yes of course sir…”  
“Then unless you want to find it missing from your neck in the next few minutes, you’d be best to stop asking questions. We’re here to accomplish the leftovers of Mr. Rotten’s mission, so we must adhere to his goals.” Mr. Steerpike said sternly, sighing as if to agree with the agent’s comments.  
A cluster of agents escorted the LazyTown citizens back to their homes as the stage was taken apart.

Robbie collapsed the telescope, biting his bottom lip. He walked thoughtfully back inside the airship.   
Sportacus sat up expectantly. “Well? What’s going on in LazyTown?”  
Robbie shook his head. “A lot, that’s for sure.”   
“Is there any good news?” Sportacus asked.  
Robbie thought for a moment. “Sort of. Where should I start?”  
Sportacus looked concerned. “How are the kids?”  
“Pretty upset. Pinky looks especially disturbed.”  
“Upset? What is the League doing down there??” Sportacus asked fearfully.  
“Well that’s where some of the good news comes from. The League doesn’t really want to hurt any of the kids or the Mayor or Ms. Busybody. They just want them to be…lazy.”  
“…lazy?” Sportacus said, disbelieving of the small scale of the League’s plans.  
“They apparently are out to finish the mission I had been following for the last few years. Guess I’m glad now that I never had any more malicious plans against the town.” Robbie said, his tone growing more uneasy and he smiled awkwardly.  
  
Sportacus sighed. “Okay, that’s good. The kids aren’t in any immediate danger.”  
“I didn’t say that, Sports. The League’s still threatening some painful punishments if they do anything that’s not lazy.” Robbie said.  
“What?! Then someone needs to help them! I can’t just do nothing! They’re all in trouble!” Sportacus announced, doing his signature move. He attempted a flip, but failed miserably, tripping over his feet. He cringed at the pain resonating through his body, settling with stumbling towards the door.   
“Sportacus, wait! You can’t just charge into town!” Robbie said, blocking the doorway with his body.  
“I feel fine, Robbie. I can do this. Besides, they need me.” Sportacus said reassuringly.  
“No, that’s not just it. Sportacus, the League told everyone in town that you’re…dead.” Robbie said quietly.

Sportacus froze. “They think I’m dead?” he asked softly.  
“That’s why you can’t just charge in there. If the League believes you’re dead, and you just come flipping-flopping back into town, they’ll think their poisons and tactics were ineffective. They might try using more violent, experimental methods in taking you out. It could not just kill you, but kill everyone in LazyTown. They aren't exactly afraid to use toxic materials to get the job done.” Robbie said, growing more upset.  
Sportacus looked up at Robbie, visibly anxious. “B-But we can’t just do nothing! They need us!”  
Robbie frowned. “I know, but we need to go about this strategically. We need a plan.”

Robbie thought for a moment, then smiled. “I think I've got it!”  
Sportacus’s expression became more curious. “A way to help the kids?”  
“The town and L.O.V. believe you’re dead, right? Well, we can help the town as long as we keep everyone believing that you’re dead. They’ll eventually drop their guards, less people's lives will be put in danger, and we can figure out a way to run them out of town!”

“Okay, but how? The kids will definitely know who we are if we go back into LazyTown. How can we help them and not be spotted by the League?” Sportacus asked.  
Robbie grinned and made his way to the ship’s controls. “Well first, we need to get back to my lair. How do you pilot this thing?”  
Sportacus limped over to the front of the ship. “It’s pedal-powered. Everything else controls like a normal airship.”  
Robbie looked at Sportacus with an unamused expression. “Seriously? Even your airship is pedal-powered?”  
Sportacus smiled. “Hey, it works for me.”  
Robbie groaned. “Can’t you get an engine like a normal person? Alright, this will just be a bit slower going then.” With an “umph” and a few grunts, Robbie pushed the ship’s pedals, getting a steady rhythm going. The airship quickly sprung into gear, floating across the sky.  
“So what do we need from your lair?”  
Robbie’s grin returned. “Oh, just a few little things. My plan’s going to use something that hasn’t failed me yet, and will get us into LazyTown without even a hair of suspicion being raised.”  
Sportacus shrugged, giving Robbie a smile. “Well alright then. Carry on.”

The ship charged across the sky, speeding towards the outskirts of town.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoyed this chapter!
> 
> Just to let you all know, around chapter 5 the updates may slow down since I'm still figuring out what happens after that chapter haha but I'll keep them as consistent as possible!
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	3. A Game of Make Believe

Robbie pulled the brake as the ship hovered over his lair.  
“Okay, here’s the plan. We’ll go down to my lair. Sneak in by dropping off a few feet away from the entrance and use the secret passageway. That way nobody thinks it seems too suspicious.”  
“Uh, Robbie?”  
“Then, we’ll grab a few different disguise pieces and other tools. Next, we’ll drag it all back into the airship.”  
“Robbie.”  
“We’ll form our disguises, and sneak on into LazyTown! It’s foolproof!”  
Sportacus tapped his shoulder. “Foolproof, except for that.” Sportacus pointed out the windows. Robbie peered out and gasped in horror.

The hatch door on the pipe entrance had been blown completely off, the crumpled shell sitting to the side in a heap. He could see men piling out of the pipe, tossing various pieces of furniture and personal assets into a pile in the grass. Another group of men were making short work of his things, torching piles of clothing, hacking apart his inventions and furniture. The leftover pieces were then thrown into a dump truck.

“T-That’s my home! They’re destroying my home!” Robbie cried out.  
Sportacus was too stunned by what he saw to even react.  
Robbie continued to watch, seeing his many intricate disguises turn into frayed and burnt crisps in the large bonfire. He felt pain in his heart as he could only watch the agents bring up his beloved fluffy, orange armchair. They carelessly threw it to the ground, a group of agents descending upon it like vultures to a carcass, hacking it apart with sledgehammers and axes.   
“My armchair…” Robbie said sadly, his heart sinking as he watched everything he owned be destroyed.  
“I just don’t get it, why are they doing this?” Sportacus asked.  
“Either they think I’m dead too, that I skipped town and am not coming back, or to make sure I have nothing at my disposal.” Robbie said, his mind still distracted by the sight of his home being trashed.  
Sportacus, noticing Robbie’s distress, wrapped an arm around him, hugging him gently. “I’m so sorry, Robbie.”  
Robbie sniffed, gritting his teeth. “It’s fine. W-We’ve got to focus on getting them out of town. Then we can work on rebuilding my home.” He frowned. “They’re going to pay for this, they’re definitely going to pay.”  
Sportacus, still concerned, planted a peck on the side of Robbie’s head. Robbie gave him a slight smile.   
“Thanks, Sportacus.” He said. He shook his head, stepping away to pace the floor of the airship.

“How will we get into LazyTown now?” Sportacus asked, sitting himself down again.  
“Hang on, I’m thinking…” Robbie said, tapping his chin thoughtfully. His hand slipped, for a moment, into his pocket. Suddenly, an idea.   
“Of course!” he said cheerily. He reached into his pockets, digging around for something. “I always have a little of this with me.” He explained. Finally, he pulled a bag, about half the size of his palm, made of dark wine-colored velvet and tied off with a golden string, out of his pocket. The outside of the bag was monogrammed with his initials in gold thread.  
Sportacus looked it over, quirking an eyebrow in confusion. “What…is it?” he asked.  
Robbie stood proudly, patting the little bag. “It’s my special disguise dust!”  
“Oh!” Sportacus exclaimed. “Wait, disguise dust?”  
  
“Didn’t you ever wonder how I was able to switch into disguises so quickly, sometimes without even being back in my lair?”  
Sportacus shrugged. “I just assumed you were a quick-change artist! You look like you’d be good at magic.”  
Robbie looked perplexed. He wasn’t sure if he should feel flattered or be confused. He shook his head. “Well, this is how I did it! When I was being taught how to be a villain, I decided to specialize in disguises. I felt it was the least harmful trade, considering my dad chose toxins and, well, there was no way I was going to study that. While I was learning how to craft the sneakiest of disguises, I also learned how to concoct this special disguise dust!”  
Sportacus peeked for a second in the bag. “What is it made of?”  
Robbie thought for a moment. “Some ocean glass shards, a single teardrop from a crocodile, a shredded nickel, oil from a snakeskin, and, I think, crushed fairy wings.”  
Sportacus recoiled. He thought about the fairies he used to play with in his childhood. “I see…” he said, trying to hide his disgust.

Robbie felt awkward for a second, seeing Sportacus’s discomfort. He hadn't thought about the potential that Sportacus might've known some fairies, and how horrifying it may seem that something he uses on a regular basis has its magic _based_ on a part of a fellow magical creature. Nevertheless, he tried to shake the awkwardness off, still attemping to sell Sportacus on the potency of the dust. “This stuff is pretty amazing. Just a little pinch of this dust, and you’ll be instantly clothed in the craftiest, most sneaky, and best disguise. It’s a bit tricky to learn to use, but it’s well worth it.”  
Sportacus’s frown persisted. "I definitely don't agree with the ingredient choice." he said. But then he reluctantly admitted, "Still, I know how good your disguises are. And if this is what it takes, then I'll bite."  
“So are you ready to try some?” Robbie asked.  
Sportacus seemed a little uneasy, eying the velvet bag. “Well…can I see you use it first?”

Robbie nodded, assenting. “Of course, it’s quite easy.” He tipped the bag, pouring a pinch’s worth of the powder into his hand. The dust was quite beautiful, its color mostly an eggshell color with a few tiny shards reflecting a pastel rainbow onto his hands and the ceiling. Sportacus could’ve sworn he even saw little sparks of light burst from the dust. It was definitely composed of some strong magic.  
“All you have to do is take some of the dust.” Robbie said, gesturing to the pile in his hand. “Keep a persona in mind, a character that you want to be. Make it as vivid as possible in your mind. Then, when you’ve got it, toss it onto yourself! Like so!”   
Robbie took a deep breath, closing his eyes. He took the dust in his hand, tossing it straight up into the air. The powder rained down upon him, a few particles bursting into little sparks of light. He soon was surrounded in the bursting sparks, creating a blinding, purple-ish light. Sportacus had to close his eyes, and once he opened them he gawked at the results.

Parts of the costume were familiar, like the thick, black rimmed glasses. But most was fairly new. Adorned atop of his head was a wig of curly, reddish brown hair. He wore a pale purple button up shirt, with a houndstooth print, layered under a magenta sweater, paired with chocolate brown slacks and dark brown loafers. A dark gray scarf draped around his neck. Sportacus was amazed at Robbie’s new appearance; he even caught a glimpse of some freckles dotted around his nose. A very neat little touch.  
“You’re right, I wouldn’t even recognize you. That is some great dust.” Sportacus smiled.  
Robbie grinned. “Told you this stuff worked miracles. Now it’s your turn.” He poured a little mound of powder into Sportacus’s hand. “Just think of an appearance, then throw the powder onto yourself!”  
Sportacus looked a little uneasy. “To be honest Robbie, I’ve never been too good at this sort of thing! Imagining myself as someone else? It’s a bit tricky.”  
Robbie was surprised. “Well, doesn’t have to be something fancy! Just something the kids wouldn’t recognize as being you.”  
Sportacus sighed, thinking hard. “Something they wouldn’t recognize…” he said thoughtfully. After a minute or two, he nodded. “Okay, I think I’ve got it.” He said nervously.  
Robbie smiled. “Then go for it.”  
Sportacus nodded. “Okay, here I go.” He threw the dust on himself, trying to keep his mind trained on the look he wanted.  
Robbie stepped back as Sportacus was suddenly engulfed in a flash of light. When the light cleared and Robbie could see again, he was taken quite aback by the sight.

Sportacus was completely unrecognizable. His signature pointy, black mustache was completely obscured by a much bushier, golden brown mustache, which was styled into curls at the end. The mustache was matched by a long, somewhat comical goatee, which also was styled with a curl at the end. He wore a white button up shirt, an emerald green tie, a gray-blue vest adored with silver buttons, all underneath a brown tweed jacket. Paired with this ensemble was a pair of charcoal gray slacks and black dress shoes. He’d taken a few cues from Robbie’s outfit, like wearing a pair of round, thick-lensed glasses. Topping it all off was a gray, wool flat cap, pulled down to cover his pointed ears.   
Robbie walked around Sportacus, examining his outfit choice. “Definitely not something I’d expect you to wear, Sportacus.” He pointed to his hair. “Nice touch with the gray on the temples. Definitely nice. Not bad for your first attempt at a disguise Sportakook.” He said teasingly, grinning with a shade of pride.  
Sportacus laughed nervously. “You don’t think they’d know it’s me?”  
Robbie shook his head. “Definitely not, though I’d like to add one more thing.”  
Sportacus gave Robbie a curious look. “Oh? And what’s that?”

Robbie tossed a tiny pinch of the disguise powder up into the air. The powder glittered and shone, before exploding in a puff of smoke and sparkles. From the cloud of magic dust a wooden cane dropped into Robbie’s hands. He admired the cane for a second, crafted out of oak wood and painted with a cherry varnish, topped with a silver knob engraved with intricate, swirling designs. He handed the cane to Sportacus. “It works double duty. It both sells the effectiveness of your disguise, and it’ll help you walk around the town.”  
Sportacus took the cane, looking at it uneasily. “Thanks Robbie.” He said quietly. He held the cane in his hands, contemplating it silently.   
“Something wrong?” Robbie asked.  
“N-No, I’m okay. Just odd to have to use one of these.” Sportacus admitted.  
Robbie smiled and gave him a pat of reassurance. “It’s only temporary, Sporty. Just think, we’ll get L.O.V. out of LazyTown, then we can focus on your recovery. You’ll be back to normal before you even know it.”  
Sportacus nodded, his expression becoming more determined. “You’re right. Let’s go, the town needs us.”

Robbie sat back in the pilot’s seat, pedaling the airship through the sky as clouds zipped past. As much as Robbie hated heights, he would admit that the exhilaration of flying was pretty addictive. He pulled the handbrake, landing the ship in the outer border of the forest, far past the outskirts of town. He got up, pulling the handbrake before hand, pausing when he saw Sportacus about to pocket his sports crystal.  
“You might not want to bring that. That sports crystal will be a dead giveaway to who you are.”  
Sportacus stopped, holding the little metal device in his hand. “But how will we know if someone’s in trouble?”  
“I’m certain it’ll be pretty obvious, Sportacus. The L.O.V. aren’t exactly good at being subtle.”  
Sportacus bit his lip, tempted to take the crystal anyways. He finally relented and put the sports crystal away in his closet. “Okay, let’s get going.” He said. “Door!” he called out.  
  
The door opened, and Sportacus and Robbie made their way outside. The door closing behind them, they began the long trek back into LazyTown.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the shorter chapter, things will start picking up by the next one.
> 
> Also yes, I based the facial hair part of Sportacus's disguise on his appearance in Afram Latibae, because that hair is truly majestic.
> 
> Thank you for reading and hope you enjoy the next chapter :D


	4. The Known Rebel

_Dear diary,  
Things have gotten really bad ever since the League of Villains took over LazyTown. It makes me really scared to see all of these men patrolling around the town, carrying guns and other weapons. I don’t like the way they glare at me and the other kids. I usually glare at them back, but Uncle Milford has been telling me to be more careful about how I act. But they can’t get away with this!  Won’t anyone stop them?_

_Today a bunch of the men raided all of the homes in LazyTown, taking away all our sportscandy and sports equipment. They said they were “contraband” and were not allowed. It was really scary. I don’t think I’ve ever seen my uncle so nervous. I can’t just sit here and do nothing, especially since that’s what the L.O.V. want from us._

_I’m going to stand up to them. I’ll take the sportscandy I have left and give it to everyone in town. I’ll take my music and start dancing. I’m not scared. We just have to let them know that what they’re doing is wrong, and won’t get away with it._

_I only hope my plan will work._

Stephanie finished off her diary entry, peering out her window. A patrolling group of agents passed by the picket fence. She noticed that they weren’t really holding their guns; they were slung across their backs. She wondered if they were so convinced that the town wasn’t going to do anything to retaliate, that they’d gotten complacent.  
  
“ _Time to show them they’re wrong._ ” She thought to herself.  
  
She grabbed her backpack from her closet, zipping it open and dumping out her schoolbooks and notebooks. She looked around, making sure no one was watching, before she bent down and pulled a small sack from under her bed. She smiled as she examined its contents, pulling out numerous apples and pears from the sack, stuffing them into her backpack. She grabbed a few other choice supplies and crammed them into her backpack as well. She zipped up the pack, tossing it onto her back. Finally, she grabbed her most portable boombox, gripping it in her hand as she climbed out the window and into the yard again.

 

\--

Sportacus and Robbie finally found themselves facing the welcome sign to LazyTown. They breathed easy, glad they had made it this far. As they entered the town, they had the distinct feeling of being watched.   
Robbie quietly gestured to the rooftops. “They’ve got agents on watch all over town.”  
Sportacus nodded. “We’ll just have to be extra careful then.”  
As the two passed the familiar theater and grocery store, they stopped and watched as a patrol marched on by. Robbie could feel his face pale at the sight of the high-caliber weaponry that each agent was decked out in. The gravity of the situation was truly dawning on him now. Once the patrol passed, Sportacus and Robbie snuck around the corner.   
“Where to first?” Sportacus asked.  
Robbie thought for a moment. “I…actually don’t know. If the L.O.V. has truly taken over the town, town hall is not an option. I think we should just keep walking around, get an idea of what’s going on.”  
Sportacus nodded. “Lead on then.”  
The two kept walking, growing increasingly more uneasy as the number of agents they saw seemed to double every block they covered. The whole town was crawling in L.O.V. agents, each armed to the teeth. Robbie’s ears tuned in to a conversation another patrol of agents was having.

“This is so stupid. They bring all of us out here, and what do we do? We enforce _laziness_.”  
“Yeah captain, isn’t there something more important we could be assigned to? Like a global bank heist? A coup to overthrow a government? An assassination? **Anything else**?”  
The head of the patrol stopped, sighing exasperatedly. “Do **I** look happy to be here? All I know is that this is our assignment. Apparently one of the higher ups in the League said this was an incredibly important mission and one that’s of high interest to the organization. So of course, we must do our job. Even if it’s mind-numbingly lame and easy.”  
The agents grumbled amongst themselves.  
“Think about it this way men, with how mundane our goal is, at the very least we won’t have to get our hands dirty. It’ll be a simple, clean mission. We get our job done, we go home, and we get assigned to a more glamorous job.”  
The agents still seemed bored and restless.  
The captain groaned, rolling his eyes. “Just keep your eyes out for anything suspicious, okay?”  
The patrol moved along, rounding the corner of the park.

“Okay, sounds like the agents aren’t apt to use any violent action against the townsfolk. That’s good at least.” Robbie whispered.  
Sportacus sighed in relief. “That gives us some more time.” He shot a disapproving stare at the patrol group.  
Robbie nodded. “We still won’t want to take too much time. There’s always a chance they’ll change their minds.”

\--

Stephanie made her way to a street corner, facing the sports park. She felt uneasy seeing the park so empty and abandoned. For a second, she thought about the many memories she had there. Playing pretend with all of the kids, games of basketball and soccer, and hanging out in their treehouse. She remembered how fun it was to make origami with Robbie, and the fun of learning how to be a superhero with Sportacus. She shook her head, pushing the thoughts away from her mind. This was no time to feel sad; she was a girl on a mission.

She set down her boombox, pressing the “on” button. It started playing a jamming Eurobeat song. It was one of Trixie’s most recent creations, and definitely one perfect for dancing. Stephanie stretched, breathing easy. She cranked up the volume on the player, hoping the sound would reverberate throughout all of LazyTown. Finally, as she felt the music reach a peak, she began to dance. As she danced, she could feel her heart soar once again, feeling the energy to accomplish the splits, leaping back onto her feet. From the corner of her eye, she could see three agents making their way to her position. She swallowed the rising fear in her chest, focusing on continuing to dance.

“Hey! Kid, what do you think you’re doing? Get back inside, physical activity is strictly forbidden.” The first agent said.  
Stephanie ignored him, dancing more furiously.  
“Are you deaf? That means you stop this dancing and go home.” Said the second agent.  
Stephanie shot him a look, continuing to dance.  
“Kid, if you don’t stop, we’ll be forced to make you stop.” Growled the third agent.  
Stephanie glared at the trio. Her dance steps started growing more aggressive, her feet stomping against the pavement in a near threatening gesture.  
  
The first agent leaned down, turning off the boombox. Stephanie slowed down and kicked the boombox’s button, turning on the music again.  
“You’re making this more difficult than it needs to be kid. Just stop this dancing.” Said the first agent, reaching for something in his back pocket.  
Stephanie slowed to a stop. She took a step back, reaching into her backpack. “You want me to stop? Fine.” She pulled out one of the pears she packed and chucked it straight at the agents, beaning the second one in the head. “Come and get me.” Stephanie then turned and bolted around the corner.  
The agents quickly collected their dazed friend. The third one turned and looked up.   
“The kid’s getting away! Get her!” he shouted.   
The second and third agents ran after Stephanie, bounding around the corner. The first one was about to follow them, but first stopped in front of the boombox. He pulled out his rifle and opened fire, leaving the boombox shattered into pieces, the music dying out into a nonsensical garbled mess. He nodded, then ran after his fellow agents.

\--

Robbie nearly jumped out of his clothes at the rattling sound of bullets in the distance, shrieking at the noise. Sportacus was spooked as well, but he collected himself as quickly as possible, taking a more defensive stance.  
“Gunshots? I thought you said they weren’t going to attack people!” Sportacus said, looking up determinedly towards the sound.  
“T-That’s what I heard! Something, or someone, must’ve made them change their minds.” Robbie said worriedly, his ears still ringing from the noise.  
Sportacus dropped the cane, preparing to leap and flip towards the origin of the gunshots. He was stopped, however, by both his own body refusing to cooperate and Robbie grabbing his arm. He instead fell to the ground, his hands skidding against the concrete.  
“We’re supposed to be undercover, remember?” Robbie hissed.  
“But someone’s in trouble! We can’t do nothing!” Sportacus protested, flinching at how tender his hands felt, being roughed up by the coarse and uneven texture of the sidewalk. He got up slowly with Robbie’s help, supporting himself on Robbie’s shoulder as Robbie bent down to pick up his cane.  
“I’m sorry, but we have to be careful. We can’t just go running off to save people, it might draw attention- “ Robbie said.

“Halt! Who are you two?”

The voice caused both Sportacus and Robbie to turn in fear. An agent was staring them down, his rifle at the ready. Robbie gulped.  
“I said, who are you? You don’t look familiar to me. State your purpose for being here.” The agent said.  
“Ah, uh, yes. We are tourists! We came to see the scenery of quaint little towns, and LazyTown fit the bill!” Robbie stated, forcing a grin. “My name is, um, Roger Rottenian.” Robbie gestured to Sportacus. “And this is my grandfather. I’m afraid he’s dealing with tonsillitis, so he can’t speak.” Sportacus looked up, realizing what Robbie was doing, and nodded. “He tripped and I was just helping him get his cane.”  
The agent looked at them suspiciously. “We’ve closed off all roads to the town. How did you both get here?”  
Robbie began to sweat. “Uh, well we’ve been here for a day or so.”  
The agent raised his rifle once more. “And you didn’t come to the mandatory town meeting?”  
“Well my grandfather is quite ill! We weren’t able to come to the meeting, it would be bad for his health.”  
“Uh huh, and this walk is somehow helpful?” The agent trained his rifle on Robbie’s forehead. “You both will want to come with me.”

Before either the agent or Robbie could do or say anything more, the shouts and cries of other agents interrupted them.  
“Get her! She’s a rebel-rouser!” cried one.  
Robbie and Sportacus looked up towards the roof, watching in horror. It was Stephanie, running across the building above them, leaping the gaps between each building. The agents were close on her trail, one agent at the back of the group raising his rifle towards Stephanie. The agent that was interrogating Robbie and Sportacus shot them a look before running towards the fire escape, climbing up the ladder to join his comrades.   
“Let’s go.” Robbie urged, pulling Sportacus into a nearby alley. They hid behind a large trash bin, Robbie having to restrain Sportacus as he pulled against his grip.  
“Stephanie needs us!” Sportacus protested.   
“I know, but we can’t just rush in! We don’t have a plan!” Robbie argued.  
“Robbie, they’re going to kill her!” Sportacus angrily said, tears brimming in his eyes.  
Robbie was about to speak, but his attention was suddenly caught by the sound of feet meeting Earth. He peeked around the bin to see Stephanie, climbing back up onto her feet, catching her breath, and looking up towards the roof where her rope dangled from.   
“She’s this way!” an agent spoke from around a corner.  
Stephanie gasped, freezing in the middle of the alley.  
Sportacus couldn’t take it.  
“I’m not going to just sit here. I have to help her.” He said to Robbie.

“Sportacus, wait!” Robbie said.  
But was too late. Sportacus had already handed him his cane, as he sped his way over to Stephanie. He grabbed her hand and ran out of the alley. Ignoring the loud protests from his body and imminent collapse of his legs, Sportacus bolted with Stephanie around the corner, his ears cued to the sound of gunshots, darting into another alleyway at the sound of more agents coming their direction. He grunted in pain, feeling his body scream against his sudden movement. Seeing that they were running out of places to go, Sportacus pulled Stephanie into a pile of garbage bags and cans. He covered her mouth, trying to hush her fearful squeaks, as he heard the agents approach the alleyway.  
“They must’ve gone this way captain.”  
“I don’t see them sir.”  
“Well people don’t just vanish into thin air! Search the alleyway!”

A ringing sound.

“What is it captain?”  
“It’s Mr. Steerpike. Change of plans, we’re being asked to rendezvous at town hall. Apparently a higher up from the League is due to arrive in town tomorrow morning. Very important, protocol must be discussed. The rebel-rouser can wait. She’s just a little girl anyways. Easy enough to find her later.”  
Sportacus felt his heartbeat slow as the sound of the agents’ footsteps grew more distant.

He sighed, slumping back. He tried to suppress a cry of pain at the sudden realization of how much his body still hurt. Trying to steady his breathing, he looked over at Stephanie.   
“Are you okay?” he asked, still panting his way through the rush of adrenaline.  
Stephanie nodded. “Yeah, I think so. Thank you so much mister.”  
Sportacus smiled. “You’re welcome. I won’t turn down a chance to help someone in need.”  
Stephanie paused. She looked at Sportacus, examining him. “You know, you remind me of a friend of mine.”  
Sportacus suddenly felt nervous. “Heh, I get that a lot.” He said quickly. A twinge in his legs made Sportacus shudder, suppressing another cry of pain.  
Stephanie’s eyes widened. “Are you okay mister? Are you hurt??”  
“N-No, I’m okay. I guess I shouldn’t have run like that.”  
Stephanie stood on her feet, pushing away the garbage bags. Taking the man’s hands, she helped him to his feet. She was slightly startled as he tumbled forward, barely keeping himself upright by his own accord. During that tumble, his glasses slipped a bit off his nose, allowing Stephanie a glimpse of his eyes. She gasped, those eyes seeming so…familiar. A faint hope rose in her heart.  
“ _Sportacus?_ ” she thought to herself.   
He chuckled awkwardly. “Sorry, guess I pushed myself more than I thought.”  
“Sp-Grandfather!” Robbie shouted.

Sportacus and Stephanie turned, seeing Robbie running down the alley.  
“There you are! I was really worried!” He handed Sportacus his cane. “You forgot your cane, you know you can’t run like you used to!”  
Sportacus nodded. “Thank you, grandson.” He said, balancing himself once again against the cane.   
Robbie turned to Stephanie. “Are you alright?? Why were those men chasing you?”  
Stephanie sighed. “I kind of purposefully made them mad. I was just so tired of them running the town like they are. No games, no sports, no sportscandy, no fun! Just sitting around and being lazy.”  
"That is terrible." Sportacus agreed.  
“Nevertheless, you should be more careful, little girl. These men are very dangerous, and shouldn’t be trifled with. You may want to go home for now.” Robbie said.  
  
Stephanie reluctantly nodded. “I guess. Thank you so much for helping me. I just hope that one day the League of Villains is out of LazyTown for good.”  
“It may happen sooner than you think.” Sportacus said, giving her a wink.  
Stephanie smiled. “I really hope so. Oh! I’m Stephanie, by the way. What are your names?”  
Robbie stepped up, extending his hand. “Roger Rottenian, world traveler and scholar.” He gestured to Sportacus. “This is my grandfather. He wanted to travel with me to see some quaint little towns across the country.”  
Stephanie shook their hands. “Pleased to meet you. I hope to see you both around. LazyTown really could use some true heroes right about now.”  
“Stay strong, and keep hope Stephanie. Remember, the bad guys always lose. So don't fret, things will get better soon.” Sportacus said warmly.  
Stephanie paused, hearing the familiarity in the grandfather’s voice. She shook it off, however, and made her way home.

Robbie sighed a sigh of relief. “That was close, Sportacus. Too close.”  
Sportacus nodded. “I know, but I couldn’t just do nothing.”  
“I know you can’t, but you have to be more careful. You’re still recovering, and if you push yourself too hard you’ll do more harm than good.” Robbie said with a sigh.  
Sportacus paused, frowning slightly. He shook his head. “We should get going though. Nighttime’s coming soon and we need to find a place to stay. I don’t think we can make it back to the airship in time.”  
Robbie looked around. There wasn’t much in the way of hotels in LazyTown. He remembered the empty theater. “We can hide out in the theater for now. Pretty sure the agents won’t check there.”  
Sportacus nodded. “Alright, let’s go there.”  
As night fell, the two made their way across town, doing their best to avoid running into more agents as they went.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are finally rolling along! Hope you guys are enjoying the story so far. There's some pretty cool stuff on the way, so hope you keep reading! Thank you so much for checking out my fanfic!


	5. Time Does Not Erase Them

Sportacus was first to wake. He could hear the faint sounds of yelling and stomping feet outside the theater. He rubbed his eyes, yawning and stretching. Last night’s sleep wasn’t exactly comfortable. They had hoped to find a bed somewhere in the theater, even if it was just an old set piece it’d be better than nothing. But no such luck. They had to take some old curtains and bedsheets from previous productions and fashion them into a makeshift bed on the seats. Not the most ideal sleeping situation.

He looked over to Robbie, seeing him still asleep. He smiled, turning to look at the stage. Getting up, he walked around the perimeter of the seats. He could feel his strength slowly returning; he didn’t have to cling to the seats as often as he did yesterday. He felt some soreness in his legs, the aftermath of yesterday’s events. Otherwise, however, he was feeling a bit closer to his old self.

He sat himself back in his seat just before Robbie started to wake up. He knew that if Robbie caught him walking around, he’d get another talking to. He sighed, pulling his glasses from his coat pocket. Robbie stretched and yawned, looking still very exhausted.  
“Morning Sports. How are you feeling?” he asked.  
“Better. Getting stronger I think.” Sportacus replied.  
“Good to hear. You’ll be back to full power in no time.” Robbie said with a grin. He put on his glasses and threw on his wig again. He walked up the stage, heading backstage to find a mirror. Sportacus slipped his flat cap back on, eying the cane that laid on the ground beneath the seats. He screwed his face at the idea of having to, once again, depend on the cane to get around. He peeked up over the stage. Robbie was out of view.

He smiled slyly. Using the arms of the chair, he pushed himself once again onto his feet. He made his way on stage, sighing in content at his freedom of movement. He took a deep breath, pushing his feet together. With one huge burst of energy, he leapt up into the air, twisting into a front flip. His mind, for a moment, went into panic mode, screaming and yelling to stop and cease this crazy activity. He managed to block these thoughts, as he made the landing, his feet stamping loudly against the wooden floorboards, the sound reverberating throughout the echo-fueling theater. He panted, a burst of joy filling his heart and mind. He felt like a kid on Christmas as he gazed at his own form with glee. Perhaps his healing was, indeed, going to go faster than he thought.

The wobbling of his knees quickly told him the contrary. His face paled as he, once again, met with the ground. The wind was blown out of his lungs as his glasses flew off his face, clacking and skidding across the stage floor. He lifted himself partially off the ground, his sore knees a painful reminder of his current limitations. The sound rung through his ears, his hands shaking as his eyes raised to look at his lost glasses. He shook as his mind became flooded with voices, voices from his memories:

“ _Such a shame, it truly is a shame._ ”

“ _This is the son of íþróttaálfurinn huh? I don’t believe it._ ”

“ _We had such high hopes for you._ ”

“ _Try and catch us! Oh yeah, you’re not fast enough._ ”

“ _I guess it just wasn’t meant to be, huh?_ ”

Sportacus bit his lip as the memories became louder and more aggressive, his body trembling as he could feel himself curling inwards.  
“S-Stop, that’s n-not true! I’m just healing! I’ll be…I-I’ll be…” he said feverishly, clasping his hands over his ears. He squinted at the blinding light of a spotlight, shone directly on him, the voices of long forgotten people surrounding him, crowding him. He fought back the tears building within him, closing his eyes tightly, trying to will away the thoughts flooding his brain.

“ _Not strong enough._ ”

“ _Not nimble enough_.”

“ _Not good enough._ ”

“ _Not enough_.”

“ _NOT ENOUGH.”_

“Sportacus!”  
Robbie’s voice broke Sportacus from his feverish, fearful attack. He opened his eyes, cautiously looking up, his vision blurry from tears. It was only then that he noticed the silence of the theater and, as evident from the cobwebs, that the spotlight had never been turned on. He shook slightly, turning slowly to face Robbie.  
Robbie had bent down, picking up Sportacus’s glasses. “You really need to be careful! Where’s the cane? I’m so glad you weren’t hurt.”  
Sportacus took the glasses back from Robbie, gently placing them back on his nose. “I-I’m sorry.” He said quietly.  
Robbie stopped, looking concerned. “Sportacus? Is…everything okay?”  
“I’ll be fine.” Sportacus said quickly.  
Robbie bit his lip. He didn’t believe Sportacus, but at that moment, he felt it inappropriate to press him further. Taking Sportacus’s hand, he helped him to his feet.  
“Come on, we should get going. We’ve got a lot of ground to cover.”

\--

 

_S: Pixel, are you awake?_

_P: Of course_

_S: We need to talk_

_P: That sounds bad_

_S: It’s not, I think. Can we meet at your house?_

_P: Sure._

_S: I’m inviting everyone else, if that’s okay_

_P: Must be pretty important_

_S: Very. It could change everything_

_P: I’ll make popcorn_

Within the hour, all the kids had congregated in Pixel’s bedroom. Ziggy sat on the edge of the couch, lapping at a lollipop though not as joyously as he usually would. Stingy sat on the right side of the couch, holding his piggy bank close. Trixie sat on the left end, her legs stretching over the middle spot. The kids’ energy was at an all-time low, their usual enthusiasm absent in this little meeting.  
“Thanks for coming, everyone. We’ve got some serious planning to talk about.” Stephanie started.  
“Are we finally going to drive those agent jerks out of town?” Trixie asked.  
“Well, yes. We’ll get to that part. But I’ve got another bit of news to share with you all. I think Sportacus is alive and here in LazyTown.”

The kids sat in stunned silence. Ziggy was the first to break the silence with a gasp.  
“You saw Sportacus?? Is he okay?” he asked anxiously.  
Stephanie cringed. “Well, I mean I _think_ I saw Sportacus. I met a man yesterday who was a lot like him.”  
“You brought us together to tell us about someone who sort of looks like Sportacus?” Stingy asked, unimpressed.  
“Not just looks! Actually, he didn’t look much like him. But he was brave! And strong! And his voice was just like his!”  
“Sportacus isn’t the only guy in the world who’s brave and strong, Stephanie. Are you sure you’re not just jumping to conclusions?” Pixel asked.  
Stephanie pouted. “I’m telling you guys, that man was Sportacus! He must be just wearing a disguise or something!”  
“Stephanie, we get it, we all miss Sportacus. And we wish he were here too.” Trixie stated, looking at the other kids for support. They nodded. “But if what the agents say is true, then he’s gone. And we can’t do anything about that.”

Stephanie stopped, regathering her thoughts. “But why are we believing the League of Villains? I mean, they’re villains! Couldn’t they be lying to us?”  
“But _you_ said you saw blood near where Sportacus and Robbie had their date, and bullet holes in the wall. If that isn’t proof enough, then what is?” Pixel asked.  
Stephanie frowned. “I don’t know. I just, I don’t know, know. It doesn’t feel right. Sportacus must still be out there.”

Trixie sighed. “Good that you’re still optimistic, Pinky. But let’s move on, don’t we have an organization to run out of town?”  
Pixel nodded. “Yeah, but how are we going to accomplish that? There are a lot of agents, and they’re all carrying weapons. Weapons we don’t have to match against them.”  
“A-And I heard gunshots yesterday! They must not be afraid to use them!” Ziggy piped up.  
Trixie twisted her lip. “That’s all true, but there’s got to be something we can do! Maybe drive them out is a bit ambitious. But we can at least make their jobs a lot harder!”  
Ziggy perked up, gasping excitedly. “Like set up traps! I mean, don’t hurt them. But, maybe annoy them?”  
Trixie nodded. “Exactly. And I already have a few ideas. Pixel, do you still have that camera bot? The one that flies?”  
Pixel smiled. “Sure! It needs some tweaking, but it’ll be ready in the hour!”  
“Set it up so it can deliver a payload. We can take some of this junk food and dump it right on their heads!”  
Stingy stood up. “I'd like to volunteer my personal stash of marbles! As long as we get them all back, of course.”  
Trixie grinned. “That’s the spirit! And I’ve got slingshots for everyone. We just need ammo.”  
“I have some delicious candy! We can fire them at the agents!” Ziggy cheerily said.  
Trixie smiled proudly. “Yeah! Come on guys, let’s let those mean agents know that we want LazyTown to remain happy and active!” She paused, turning to Stephanie, who was looking out the window. “Pinky, are you with us?”

Stephanie didn’t answer immediately, her gaze still turned towards the window. She finally nodded.  
“I’m with you guys. Even if he’s not out there, we still need to fight for what’s right.” She smiled, looking back towards her friends determinedly. She stuck her hand out. “For LazyTown, and for Sportacus!”  
The kids piled their hands into the center, cheering as they threw them up into the air.  
“For LazyTown! For Sportacus!” they cheered happily.

\--

  
Robbie and Sportacus hid in an alley, watching the agents cautiously. Robbie quirked an eyebrow up, feeling surprised at what he saw.  
While a few agents were doing something productive, patrolling around the park and town, sitting at vantage points surveying the town, others were just sitting. A few were playing games of chess or dominoes. Another group had their guns slung across their backs, leaning against the trees and chatting, slurping down sodas and other drinks.  
“Good. Looks like most of the agents are off their guards. Should be easy enough to sneak around today, as long as we don’t draw too much attention.” Robbie reached for Sportacus. “Are you ready, Sportacus?”  
Robbie turned to look at Sportacus when he took too long to respond. He saw Sportacus frowning, his gaze turned downwards.  
“Sportacus?”  
Sportacus blinked, awareness returning to his eyes. “Huh? Sorry, yeah, I’m ready.”  
“Sportacus please, tell me, is something wrong?” Robbie asked.  
“I’m fine.”  
Robbie frowned. “You and I both know that’s not true. Please, you can tell me.”  
Sportacus shook his head. “Let’s just get going, we have to help LazyTown.”  
Robbie sighed exasperatedly. “That can wait, Sports. Seriously, what’s wrong? You’ve been off since yesterday. I know you’re worried about the town, but that can’t just be it. So, what else is up?”

“Please Robbie, I’ll be okay if we make sure everyone in LazyTown is safe. We need to get going.”  
“Is it something I’m doing?” Robbie asked.  
Sportacus bit his lip, sighing frustratedly.  
“Well, is it??”  
Sportacus stepped back, looking irritatedly at Robbie. “You just won’t let me help people! I try to save someone, get them to safety, and you seem more content to just leave them on their own! I can help them Robbie, it’s my job! Why won’t you let me do my job?!”  
Robbie furrowed his eyebrows, shaking his head. “Because you’re still hurt, Sports! You, literally, cannot do your usual tricks! I know you want to help people, but you keep trying to rush in there like you usually do. You just push yourself, and you could be hurting yourself more!”  
“But why won’t you let me try?? I’ve been recovering smoothly, and everyone needs me more than I need to heal! How do you know I can’t save them like usual? Just let me try!”  
“I CAN’T, Sportacus. I can’t let you do that to yourself!”  
“Why not, Robbie?? Why not?!”

“Because I can’t let you get hurt anymore! I can’t bear to think that you’ll be hurt more than you are right now!”  
Silence. Sportacus watched as Robbie grew more emotional.  
“Sportacus, I nearly watched you die a few nights ago. I…I can’t go through that again. I can’t…watch you get hurt anymore. It was my fault you were hurt in the first place. I just want you to be safe.”  
Sportacus’s gaze softened. Before he could respond, however, his attention was drawn by the sound of a whirring motor above him. Robbie and Sportacus looked up, seeing Pixel’s drone fly by in the direction of the patrolling agents.

The drone hovered above their heads, the agents unaware of the large, metal aircraft right above them. Robbie and Sportacus watched as the hatch doors on its underside slowly pulled open. A second later, multiple eggs plopped down and splattered on the heads of the surprised agents. Annoyed and shocked shouts and yells erupted from the group, a few staring straight up and pointing angrily at the drone.  
“What kind of stupid joke is this?!” one shouted, right as another egg made contact with his face.  
The laxing agents got up, dropping their soda cans and cards, ready to help their teammates. Before they could move forward, however, they flinched and shouted as they were pelted by little projectiles.  
“Long live LazyTown!” a voice that Sportacus instantly recognized as Trixie’s shouted from an unknown place.  
The agents were only stunned for a moment, quickly mobilizing and carrying their weaponry towards the sound of Trixie’s voice.  
Sportacus’s face paled. “The kids…” he said fearfully.  
Robbie bit his lip. He knew the kids were definitely in danger, but how much could they help? Maybe as a distraction?  
Sportacus was already making his way, following the agents towards the kids’ voices.  
“Sportacus!” Robbie shouted exasperatedly. He shook his head and ran to catch up.

\--

“Ziggy! How are we doing with ammo?”  
Ziggy checked through his gargantuan bag. He grinned. “We’ve got plenty! I’ve got all the caramels and sweets you need!”  
“Guys, the agents! They’re getting close!” Pixel warned, cringing as he watched four agents grab and bash apart his drone.  
“Okay Pinky! You got the marbles ready?” Trixie called out.  
Stephanie nodded. “Ready!”  
"Be careful with MY marbles!" Stingy warned.  
The two girls nodded, sitting and hiding behind trash cans, waiting for Stingy’s signal.  
As the agents rounding the corner, getting dangerously close to Trixie and Stephanie’s hiding spots, Stingy yelled out, “Now!”  
The girls spilled out all the marbles in their bags, the colored orbs scattering under the feet of the agents.  
Like a bad slapstick comedy routine, the agents flew up in the air, crashing down to the ground with angry grunts and groans. The agents that didn’t fall tripped and skated around, a few losing their grips on their guns.  
  
One agent, rubbing his hand against his bruised head, glared angrily at the cheering kids above him. “It’s those kids! Get them! Make them pay!”  
Seeing this as their cue to exit, Trixie and Stephanie attempted to speed away to safety, but were quickly spotted by the agent. His gestured to one of the upright agents, who was carrying a much larger, bazooka-like gun.  
“Get them!” he cried.  
The agent aimed and fired, a large net spinning and flying through the air. As fast as Trixie and Stephanie were, they were quickly swooped up by the net, dropping and skidding across the ground, tangled in its hold. They both grunted in pain, before shouting to their friends for help.  
“Trixie! Stephanie!” cried Pixel. He started to run towards them, but froze at the popping sounds of grappling guns, stepping back as he saw the agents start the scale the buildings. He saw Stingy and Ziggy also be cornered by the agents. “Oh no.” he said, his eyes widening in panic.

At that moment, Sportacus and Robbie arrived, ducked behind a corner. They both looked in horror as the agents began to descend upon the kids.  
“We need to get them away from the kids.” Sportacus said.  
Robbie nodded. “But how? I mean we can’t just go in flailing our arms and- “  
“Hey! Over here!” Sportacus began to shout.  
“ _Dang it, Sportacus_.” Robbie thought frustratedly.  
The agents didn’t turn around or even acknowledge Sportacus.  
Sportacus, furrowing his brow, reached down and picked up a rock. With a grunt of effort, he chucked it straight at the head of one of those agents, the agent tumbling to the ground. Almost like they were connected to a singular hive mind, the entire cluster of agents turned to face towards Sportacus and Robbie.  
“Why don’t you mess with someone your own size??” Sportacus said, his voice sounding ever so angry. He picked up another rock and chucked it at the patrol.

The captain turned for a second to the kids, before turning back to his patrol.  
“Get them!” he commanded, pointing towards Sportacus and Robbie.  
Time seemed to slow as the agents charged towards the two of them. Robbie’s face went ghostly white; Sportacus turned towards Robbie.  
“Time to run.” Sportacus said quickly, grabbing Robbie’s hand and running away from the kids and the agents.

Meanwhile Pixel, seeing his chance with the agents distracted by those guys, quickly ran towards the ladder, climbing down speedily to Trixie and Stephanie.  
“Are you guys okay?” he asked worriedly, taking out a pocket knife and making short work of the net.  
“I think we’re fine. It’s good that Mr. Rottenian and his grandpa were here.” Stephanie said, sighing in relief.  
Trixie’s eyes widened at the sight of the pocket knife. “Woah! How’d you get that?”  
Pixel shrugged sheepishly. “I kind of snatched it from my dad’s coat pocket.”  
The trio’s attention flew up towards Ziggy and Stingy, still cornered at the edge of the rooftop.  
“It’s the end of the road for you brats.” sneered an agent.  
Trixie, reflexively, pulled out her slingshot, loading a large gumball into the sling, and fired at the agent’s head. The agent cried out, the gumball striking him in the eye. His teammate crouched down to attend to his downed friend, giving Ziggy and Stingy enough time to find the fire escape and climb down, reuniting with their friends.  
“We’ve got to get out of here.” Stingy said, panting.  
Stephanie looked towards the entrance to the alleyway. “But what about Mr. Rottenian and his grandfather? They’re in trouble!” she asked worriedly.  
“Who?” asked Ziggy.  
Trixie shook her head, pushing Stephanie in another direction. “They’ll be fine! Let’s focus on getting ourselves out of here first!”  
The kids ran out, towards Stephanie’s home, Stephanie reluctantly running after them.

\--

Robbie and Sportacus sprinted down the street, the agents hot on their trails. Robbie, out of breath and growing dizzy, tried to keep going but knew soon he’d tire out. He panicked for a moment as Sportacus tripped on the curb of the sidewalk. Robbie, using some of his last remaining strength, hoisted Sportacus onto his feet and pulled him forward. They tried to round a corner, hoping to give the agents the slip, but instead met face to face with another patrol of agents. They were surrounded.

“Well, you gentlemen enjoying your walk?” said a familiar voice. It was the agent from yesterday, looking pompously at the trapped Sportacus and Robbie.  
The two took a step back, only to be greeted by the chilling sound of the agents cocking their rifles, pointed straight at their heads.  
Sportacus gently elbowed Robbie, gesturing to him to raise his hands over his head. He sighed, tired but at ease.  
“ _The kids are safe, that’s what matters. We can deal with whatever comes next_.” Sportacus assured himself.  
The agent approached Robbie and Sportacus, grinning proudly and wickedly.  
“You two shouldn’t have bolted yesterday, you just made things a lot more painful for you both. We won’t be quite as nice to you two now.” The agent chuckled to himself. “Then again, I’m certain we never plan to be nice to rebellious punks like yourselves.”  
Robbie glared at the agent, his snide attitude really starting to grate on his nerves. He could feel extra heat flow to his face as he saw the agent snatch away Sportacus’s cane. It took everything within him to not tackle the agent that very moment.

The prodding of a gun barrel to his back broke Robbie from his anger.  
“Get moving you two, the boss will want to see you.” Said the agent.  
Their hands still above their heads, Sportacus and Robbie were led along by the crowd of agents towards town hall. They looked in shock as they approached the familiar building, its marble pillars obscured by gigantic, gaudy banners with the League of Villains logo plastered over them. Standing in front of the main entrance was Mr. Steerpike, his hands behind his back, flanked at both sides by multiple agents, all armed to the teeth.  
The pompous agent saluted Mr. Steerpike, Steerpike himself responding with a salute and an unamused look towards the agent and Sportacus and Robbie.  
“Sir, we caught these two troublemakers provoking our agents and throwing rocks with intention to harm. What are your orders, sir? What punishment would you recommend?”

Mr. Steerpike walked forward, blatantly ignoring the agent.  
“Not now, agent. We have much more important matters ahead of us. We don’t have time to deal with common rebel-rousers.”  
The agent looked at Mr. Steerpike as he walked past, flabbergasted.  
“B-But sir! These men attacked our agents! Surely, that’s important enough to at least deal an appropriate punishment?”  
“That is ENOUGH, agent. You’d best hold your tongue.” Mr. Steerpike said sternly, his attention draw towards the sound of a car engine. “We have an incredibly visitor coming in about now.”  
The agent shrunk back, his cheeks red with embarrassment, confusion, and fury.  
Robbie leaned forward to get a better look as he saw a large, black limousine pull up in front of the marble steps of town hall.  He and Sportacus watched as an agent stood at attention in front of the door, opening it gently as multiple agents stood on guard, watching for any sign of trouble or danger.

From the limousine stepped a tall man. His face, while noticeably aged, still held a devastating level of cold determination that would strike fear into even the strongest men. His hair was cut short, its color a grayed sort of black. His skin, pale already, looked near ghostly when contrasted against his black sweater, black slacks, and black dress shoes. Topping off his ensemble was a dark violet, paletot overcoat, with a furry trim. His icy gaze was turned up towards the guard of agents, his look sending shivers down each person’s spine, shivers of both fear yet also respect.

Even Sportacus felt himself intimidated by this mysterious man. He was broken from his intimidation, however, when he looked up at Robbie. Robbie’s face didn’t just reflect fear, it was dripping of anxiousness, shock, dread, and confusion. Sportacus could see how pale Robbie looked in that moment, wondering what could possibly frighten Robbie to that point.

His question was answered when Robbie, his heart beating out of his chest and shaking slightly from nervousness, near silently said:

“Father?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the longer chapter! I didn't realize just how long this chapter got, but I hope you all enjoy it regardless.
> 
> Just a quick note on updates, the next chapter may take a bit longer as I'm editing and fine-tuning some details. It shouldn't be out any later than next week, but I want to make sure I get some details correct (specifically with dialogue). Thank you for your patience in advance and don't worry! This story isn't going anywhere!
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	6. The One Constant

Glanni strode past the endless number of agents, silently judging and examining them. He gave a few disapproving glances and glares at a few agents, ones that Sportacus recognized as the slackers from earlier. Despite having just arrived, it was like Glanni just knew which agents were the less serious ones, the ones who didn’t quite mesh with the others. His march up to the top of the stairs was stopped, when he halted to address one of the captains.  
“Your recruits are quite unsatisfactory, captain. I’d recommend that you remind them of the unprofessionalism that comes with having chocolate stains on their uniforms.” He said sternly.  
The captain nervously nodded. “Yes sir.” He firmly saluted Glanni.  
Glanni didn’t respond to the salute, just turned and continued to walk up the stairs. Mr. Steerpike speedily walked to catch up, a briefcase newly clutched in his left hand. He seemed to be trying with all his power to not look nervous or uneasy.  
“I hope the agents are to your satisfaction, Mr. Glæpur.”   
Glanni frowned, his eyes turning towards the agents once again. Much to Mr. Steerpike’s relief, these agents were more the cream of the crop, their eyes directed in front of them, their hands firmly at their rifles. Not a hint of weakness in their faces.  
Glanni nodded. “They will do. Though judging from your report, this number of agents seems unnecessary.”  
“We felt it was better to be safe than sorry. I didn’t want to mention this, but we’ve already had a few…incidents over the past of few days.” Mr. Steerpike said reluctantly, his face grimacing at his own words.  
Glanni stopped, turning to face Mr. Steerpike. Mr. Steerpike forced away his initial, fearful reaction, keeping an uneasy but firm expression. Glanni raised a single eyebrow.  
“Incidents, Mr. Steerpike?”  
“Nothing too extraordinary Mr. Glæpur. Just a little rebellion from the townsfolk- “  
“But is the **elf** involved?” Glanni glowered.

Mr. Steerpike froze. He shook his head. “No, definitely not Mr. Glæpur. My men took care of him several days ago, using your own poisons. There’s definitely no chance that he survived.”  
Glanni, much to Mr. Steerpike’s surprise, seemed a little disappointed. “A shame, I would’ve liked to eliminate him myself. But at least he’s out of the way now. And the present villain? A…Robbie Rotten?”  
“Gone. My men have searched the entire town and the surrounding areas. Not a trace to be found.”  
Glanni nodded. “Very good. Then this should be a simple enough arrangement. You don’t need me here.”  
Mr. Steerpike seemed upset. “B-But, why? Perhaps you’d like to see an example of the League’s current, more underplayed work?”  
“I _lived_ through that work, Mr. Steerpike. I do not wish to be reminded of such…unglamorous activities.”  
Mr. Steerpike frowned for a second, but retained his neutral expression once Glanni looked at him again.  
“I will file a report with L.O.V., commending you and your men on your work. Make sure your men are cleaned up next time, however. Not one hole should be present within your regime, for a single hole can unravel an entire plan. If that means trimming down your numbers, then do so. We cannot have embarrassments running under our organizations na- “ Glanni said.

He paused. His attention was drawn to Robbie and Sportacus, still restrained by the agents. Robbie gulped, his eyes meeting his father’s for the first time in many years. He had to hold back a shudder as he remembered just how cold they could be. Sportacus looked at Robbie, wishing he could reassure him in this moment.  
“What are these two doing here?” Glanni asked, unamused.  
An agent stepped forward, giving a quick salute.  
“Sir, these are two rebels we caught throwing rocks at our men.”  
Glanni twisted his lip. “And why are they still here?”  
“We are awaiting instructions, sir.”  
Glanni leaned forward, inspecting Sportacus and Robbie. He paused especially long, however, once he got to Robbie. He seemed almost puzzled. He tipped Robbie’s head down by gripping his chin with two fingers, and looked him straight in the eyes. Robbie could feel his heart stop, his face both fearful and yet pleading for mercy.  
Glanni let go of Robbie’s chin. “Hmph. Lock these two up. We will deal with them in the morning.”  
Mr. Steerpike seemed optimistic. “Does this mean that you’ll stay, Mr. Glæpur?”  
“I will stay for the night. It’s getting late, and I’d prefer to not travel at this time of night.”  
Mr. Steerpike nodded. “Very good, sir.” He snapped his fingers at the agents. “Take those two away, lock them up. Make sure they don’t cause any more disturbances.”  
The agents saluted, and began to drag Sportacus and Robbie away. Robbie fought against his captors, his legs dragging and digging into the ground as his view of his father quickly vanished.

\--

Mayor Meanswell busied himself with dinner, trying to figure out what to make tonight. He found himself surprisingly limited by the lack of vegetables and fruits, already growing sick of the current food offerings (hamburgers, pizzas, fried foods, etc.) He sighed as he pulled out a box of frozen fish sticks, blowing away the loose, collected frost off the box. As he opened the box, dumping its contents onto a baking pan, he heard a loud “thump” from the back of the house.

“H-Hello?” he asked nervously. He put down the baking pan, peeking around the corner. He couldn’t see anything immediately, and he felt a little too nervous to do any investigating. If only the nearest police force wasn’t in another town.

He decided to just try and stay calm, loading the tray of fish sticks into the warm oven. As he cranked the kitchen timer, he once again heard a noise, this time coming from Stephanie’s room.  
“Stephanie?” he asked tentatively, slowly making his way to her bedroom. Gently knocking, he slowly creaked the door open.  
“Stephanie? Is that you making all that noise- “  
  
He stopped at what he saw. All of the kids in LazyTown, plus Stephanie, had congregated in her bedroom. Ziggy, Trixie, and Stingy were splayed out on the floor, panting heavily, their eyes wide with fear. Pixel was examining the contents of Ziggy’s garbage bag full of candy, making a quick inventory check. As for Stephanie, she was frozen, her hands still on the window, as she stared at her uncle.  
“H-Hi Uncle.” She finally said.  
Mayor Meanswell was left flabbergasted. He became even more flustered once he saw the bruises and scrapes on Stephanie’s arms and legs, most likely the aftermath of being caught up in that net.   
“What in the world is everyone doing here?” Mayor Meanswell asked, entering Stephanie’s room. The kids scooched out of the way, the Mayor’s concern growing as he saw how pale and fatigued the kids looked, like they’d just run a triathlon, the large bag of candy next to a collection of slingshots, and just how nervous the kids seemed to get when a patrolling group of agents would pass by the house, ducking each time one looked towards the window.  
“Stephanie, is everything okay?” The Mayor asked more sternly.  
Stephanie, with a remorseful look in her eyes, sighed quietly. “I’m really sorry uncle. I’m afraid we really made the agents mad.”  
“Oh no! Stephanie, please, what did you do?”   
“It wasn’t just her! We all really ticked off the agents. But we have a point!” Trixie protested.  
“I-It wasn’t anything bad, Mr. Mayor! Just a little gentle prodding, using eggs…and slingshots…and m-marbles.” Pixel tried to explain, his voice tapering off.

“Oh children! You really can’t just go and annoy the agents, they’re dangerous! You could’ve been seriously hurt! Or worse!” The Mayor said frantically, examining the scrapes on Stephanie’s arms and knees.  
“B-But we weren’t! At least, we almost were, actually we were pretty close to being- “ Ziggy began, before receiving a mild kick to the legs from Trixie. “-er, nevermind. We were fine.”  
“We had to do it Mr. Mayor! We’re sick of the L.O.V. being in LazyTown! We want things to go back to how they were! When we could play outside and eat healthy food!” Trixie said unhappily.  
The Mayor sighed. “I understand, Trixie. I’m not exactly happy with this turn of events either. But, well, those men have weapons and aren’t afraid to use them! I just don’t know what we can do.”

The children paused, looking thoughtfully. Ziggy was the one to finally break the silence.  
“It just doesn’t seem right. We can’t just do nothing. I want to do something.”  
The kids agreed, nodding, then verbally agreeing.  
The Mayor shook his head. “Children, I’m sorry. But I believe it’s best if we do what we can to protect one another. It may mean things are bleak for a little while, but if we are together, then we can withstand anything. I’m certain some wise person said that once.” A dinging noise from the kitchen caught the Mayor’s attention. “Oh! The fish sticks are done! Come along children, let’s have some dinner. I imagine you’re all quite hungry after your long day.”  
  
As the mayor went along to the kitchen, humming to himself all the way, the children followed close, dragging their feet as they did.

\--

A bash of a baton against the cold, metal bars sent Robbie jumping back, yanking his hands away from the cage’s bars to spare them from the bone-shattering strike.  
“Keep away from the door, or I won’t aim to miss next time.” Snarled an agent, before he turned back to his post.  
Robbie stepped back, still holding his hands away from the door. He could feel his heart beating out of his chest, his body trembling, and his mind scrambling about in twisted dead-ends and vague questions.   
He sat on the ground, the cold chill of the cement radiating through his body. As the League of Villains agents discovered, LazyTown didn’t have anything resembling a proper prison. Thus, the group was forced to manufacture a very rough, but sturdy, jail cell in the courtyard of the town hall. It had only a single stool for furnishing, and was completely open on all sides. It made Robbie feel a bit paranoid, like they were being watched from all sides. Actually, he was sure they _were_ being watched on all sides.

As the night progressed, the agents’ attentiveness began to waver. A few even began to fall asleep as the shift swapped, new agents replacing the previous ones for the watch. Still, most likely because of how quiet the night was, and that Mr. Glæpur had finally gone to bed, the agents weren’t exactly being super aware.   
Robbie shivered as he felt the cool night air brush against his skin. He didn’t dare speak up to the agents, even if he really could use a blanket about now. He could only help to pace around the tiny jail cell, trying to come up with an escape plan. He frowned, biting his lip and shaking his head. He had been pondering for nearly four hours now, and nothing was coming to mind. They had no tools at their disposal, the cell was surrounded on all sides by armed guards, and no one was coming to help them. By all accounts, they were stuck.  
Robbie’s attention, then, turned to Sportacus. He just realized then that he’d been quiet for the last few hours. He was sitting on the uncomfy, metal stool they had been supplied, his eyes directed down at his knees. He watched as Sportacus reached to grab the metal bars, to support himself as he stood to his feet. Robbie sped over, grabbing Sportacus’s hand before it touched the cool metal rod.  
“Here, I’ll help you.” Robbie said, taking Sportacus’s hands and helping him up.  
Sportacus nodded his thanks. “Have you thought of anything yet?”  
Robbie shook his head. He looked at Sportacus sadly. “I’m completely out.”  
Sportacus furrowed his brow, biting his lip. He thought for a while, still holding onto Robbie for support. His attention wavered, his gaze instead becoming soft.  
“Are you okay?” he asked.  
Robbie looked surprised, his own expression growing sadder. “I’ll be fine. I just didn’t expect to see my dad after all this time.”

Sportacus looked behind Robbie. The guards had already started a game of poker. With that assurance, he leaned in close, holding Robbie in an embrace.  
“To be honest, I can’t believe that he’s your dad.” He whispered.  
Robbie chuckled quietly. “I honestly can’t believe it either sometimes.”  
Sportacus paused. “He’s pretty intimidating.” He admitted.  
“Now just imagine someone like that as your dad. It was pretty spooky at times.” Robbie said with a faint smile, the smile quickly fading as his mind filled memories of his childhood. “He was definitely a guy you never wanted to upset. If you did upset him, man…the house shook.”  
“I can see why you left.” Sportacus said quietly.  
Robbie looked at Sportacus uneasily. “I just…how do you react to something like this? See someone like my dad after so much time, and not knowing what he’ll do. He didn’t even recognize me.”  
“Well, we are in disguise.”  
“I know. But…didn’t it seem like he recognized me for a moment? Then he threw me in here anyways? I guess it’s not too out there for my dad, but still.” He shook his head. “I know that it’s my dad and all, but I guess part of me hoped he’d at least…I don’t know.”  
Sportacus hugged Robbie tightly. “We’ll be okay, I know it.”  
Robbie shook his head. “I’m still nervous. We have to find a way out of here.”  
“What if you just told your dad who you are? Wouldn’t he let, at least you, go?”  
Robbie frowned. “I’m not going to escape without you, so don’t even think about something like that. As for my dad…” He sighed. “…I honestly don’t know what he’d do. Who knows, he could just have us killed on the spot. I did run away from home, partially disgraced our family by not being the kind of villain he wanted.” He shook his head. “I just don’t know.”  
“It’s better than nothing though, right? We should at least try it?” Sportacus asked. He stopped, seeing Robbie’s hesitation. He wiped a tear from Robbie’s eye, placing a gentle kiss on his lips. “Whatever happens, I’ll be with you. So we have nothing to fear.”

Robbie gave him a sad smile, the smile turning to a chuckle. Sportacus raised an eyebrow.   
“Sorry, it’s just weird kissing you when you have that ridiculous mustache. It’s like I’m kissing someone else.”  
Sportacus made a joking face. “What, you don’t like it? I was thinking about keeping it.” He said teasingly.  
Robbie rolled his eyes. “I’m afraid I’m not into the Christmas elf look. Especially not on you.”  
Sportacus laughed, stopping when he saw an agent giving them a funny look. He stepped back, keeping still until the agent turned away, his attention drawing back to his card game.  
“I want to kiss you more, but I keep forgetting we’re in disguise.” Sportacus admitted softly.  
“It’s the one drawback to connected disguises. Have to keep those relationship dynamics clean.” Robbie whispered back.  
  
The two watched as the agents slowly dozed off. When they were sure they were asleep, Sportacus planted a kiss on Robbie’s lips once more. Robbie smiled and responded with another kiss.  
Together they slipped to the ground, sitting close to one another. Robbie laid his head against Sportacus’s shoulder, Sportacus gently holding his hand. Despite the fact that their inability to escape weighed upon them, as well as their relative helplessness in regards to protecting LazyTown at the moment, they both tried to find some sleep.

\--

“Stephanie? Hey, Stephanie!”

Stephanie groggily awoke, rubbing her eyes. She looked over to see Trixie looking her straight in the eyes, startling her.   
“Stephanie, I can’t sleep.”  
“I can see that. Why are you still up?” Stephanie asked.   
“I’m still thinking about today. We can’t just do nothing.”  
Stephanie nodded. “I agree, but what can we do? It’s like uncle said, these men are super dangerous, and we have nothing to fight back with.”  
“I know, but I was thinking about something else. Those two men from earlier, the ones that helped us?”  
“Yeah?”  
“Did you hear any gunshots today?”  
Stephanie thought for a moment. “I’m sure I’d remember hearing that kind of sound. And I don’t remember hearing gunshots.”  
“I’m pretty sure that means they’re still alive. What if they’re still in town?”  
“And we should go save them?”  
Trixie nodded. “If we’re really going to try and save LazyTown, we’ll need as much help as we can get. Plus, maybe we can figure out where those jerks keep their guns. That’s the one thing that’s keeping us from doing anything.”  
“And if we get rid of those…Trixie, we might just be able to save the town!” Stephanie said, a grin forming on her face.  
“So what’re we waiting for? Let’s go find them!” Trixie said with a determined smile.

As the two got up out of their sleeping bags, they tiptoed around their sleeping friends. Mayor Meanswell had raided all of the closets in his house to find enough blankets and sleeping bags for all the kids, and they’d all crashed out in Stephanie’s bedroom. Ziggy was snuggled up with his teddy bear, Stingy with his piggy bank. Pixel was passed out with his video game still lit up next to him, displaying the pause screen.  
“Should we get them to come along?” asked Stephanie.  
Trixie shook her head. “I talked to them earlier. They still seem pretty shaken up by today. Better let them rest for now.”  
Stephanie nodded, grabbing her backpack. “I’m ready, let’s go.”

With their supplies in hand, Trixie and Stephanie snuck their way out of the house, sneaking past the slumbering Mayor Meanswell (who decided to try and stop any late-night sneaking by guarding the door while the children slept). Stephanie gave one last look at her uncle, before she and Trixie snuck out the front door and out into the streets.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah change of plans! I won't be able to post the next chapter tomorrow due to a busy schedule, but the next chapter should be up this weekend. I think I was able to work out some of the kinks with the dialogue, but I may go over them one more time just to be sure.
> 
> Thank you for reading and hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	7. Boy Blue and the Moon Man

Creeping along silently, Trixie and Stephanie made their way across town, ducking and weaving into alleys and behind large objects as they walked each time they crossed the path of a set of agents. They snuck past the park, only peeking long enough to see several agents sprawled out on the lawn, snoozing soundly.  
Trixie stifled a laugh. “Some guards they are. They’re fast asleep.”  
Stephanie hushed Trixie. “These ones could just be off duty. We can’t get too excited yet.” She hissed. She pointed towards the town hall, looming ahead and encompassed in shadow. “Let’s go, we’re almost there.”

The two girls crept along speedily, approaching the retaining wall that separated the hall’s courtyard from the street. Peering over the wall, Trixie quickly spotted the large jail cell holding the two men from earlier.  
“There they are. Looks like a basic enough cage.”  
Stephanie then pointed out the multiple guards surrounding the cage on all sides. “Yeah, but there are a lot of guards.”  
“But Pinky, they’re all asleep. We should be able to sneak in and free those two in a snap.”  
“I mean yeah, we probably could. But if either of us make one false move, or either of them make a sound, we’d be caught in an instant. I just don’t think we could waltz right in there.”  
Trixie curled her lip, nodding. “Didn’t think about that.”  
Stephanie sighed, lightly hitting her fist against the wall. “If they just didn’t have those guns, we might stand a chance!”  
Trixie scanned the area, looking for any possible opportunities. Her eyes were quickly caught by one such opportunity, so perfect it was almost gift-wrapped.  
Parked along the street, its heavy door creaked just barely open, was a large white armored truck. From the faint crack, Trixie could barely make out rows upon rows of weapons, all neatly stacked and sorted.  
She pointed out the van. “Pinky, I think that’s where they get their guns. Let’s go investigate.”  
Stephanie, seeing the van, nodded. “I agree, let’s go.”

The two kids snuck their way to the van, tiptoeing past multiple sleeping guards, their guns lying next to their hands. With a cautious pull, the two shoved open the van’s doors, squeezing their way inside.  
It was like the organization had raided an army surplus store, given how many rifles and pistols were stacked up within the van’s interior. There must’ve been at least three to four rows of guns, all lined up over the other, with boxes and boxes of ammo underneath each column. Stephanie and Trixie gawked at the sight.  
“There must be like three hundred guns in here alone.” Trixie said breathlessly.  
“Well, there goes any chance of us taking all of them.” Stephanie noted, looking thoughtfully at the rows and rows of assault weapons.  
Trixie pointed towards the front seat. “We could just drive this van away. Crash it somewhere outside of town.”  
Stephanie gave her a look. “Great idea, except neither of us can drive and we’d most certainly get spotted before we even found the parking brake.”  
Trixie sighed. “Good point. But what else can we do?”  
  
Stephanie thought for a moment. Suddenly, an idea. “Trixie, did you happen to bring any of Ziggy’s candy with you?”  
Trixie grinned, heaving her heavy backpack off her pack. She opened it to reveal the pack was nearly stuffed to the seams with various taffies, gum packets, jellybeans, and more. “I figured we’d need ammo for the slingshots in case we were spotted.”  
Stephanie grabbed a fistful of gum and one of the rifles off the wall. Fumbling for a moment, she yanked upon the bullet chamber on the gun, proceeding to jam multiple wads of gum into the inner workings of the gun. She then set the rifle back on the wall.  
“This should at least stall them for a while.” She explained.  
Trixie gave her a mischievous smile. “Not bad, this might just work. We’ll have to work fast though, it’s getting close to morning.”

For the next hour or two, Trixie and Stephanie worked on shoving as much pieces of candy they could into each available rifle and pistol, also taking the time to shove the gummy candy pieces into the rifle magazines that sat full and ready against the wall. Once they had double and triple checked that each gun had been “gummed up”, the two crept out the back of the van. They could see the sun beginning to barely creep over the horizon, its pink and orange glow staining the sky a sort of grapefruit color.

They hastily made their way to the opposite street corner. Trixie paused for a moment to look back at the jail cell.  
“I sure this works, Pinky.”  
Stephanie stopped as well, looking back uneasily at the cage.  
“I hope so too Trixie. And I hope they’ll be okay.”  
The two then ran all the way back to the Mayor’s house.

\--

The sun rose over the horizon all too quickly for Robbie’s taste. As the blinding, yellow light crossed over his eyes, he squinted, groaning wearily as he stretched his arms over his head. He blinked, his eyes slowly opening. Once his vision began to unblur, he realized that he was being stared at. At that moment, he finally remembered where he was.  
The agents, guns at the ready, stood in front of the cell’s door. In the middle of this patrol was Mr. Steerpike, his hands crossed behind him, his gaze fixed upon Robbie and the sleeping Sportacus, his brows knit together disapprovingly.  
“Good morning, gentlemen.” He said sternly. Robbie leaned over and shook Sportacus awake, who awoke with a start and went pawing around for his glasses.  
“We have come to a decision as to what both your fates will be.” Mr. Steerpike gestured to several men standing by, rifles in their hands. “For your treacherous actions and violent assaults upon our men, we have elected to execute you both. You should both feel honored, Mr. Glæpur himself has chosen to spectate your executions.”  
The cage door was ripped open, four guards entering the cell. Sportacus first to be pulled to his feet, his arms restrained behind him as he was led from the cage, a slight limp present in his gait. Robbie was next to be yanked to his feet, his legs going limp underneath him.  
“Let us go!” he cried. As he was dragged out into the yard, his eyes flew to meet with Glanni’s own, his expression one of fear.  
“Father, please! Help me!” Robbie begged.

Glanni’s face briefly held a twinge of recognition and confusion. But his expression remained firm. He glared at Robbie and Sportacus.  
As Robbie was led past, his foot caught on a loose rock, him stumbling onto his knees. He gritted his teeth to repress a cry from the sharp twinge of pain resonating from his leg injury. Sportacus looked in horror, the guards pulling him back as he attempted to run to his beloved’s side. Robbie was quickly yanked back onto his feet, sputtering as his wig fell loose, its synthetic hairs caught on his lip.  
The glimpse of raven hair caused Glanni’s eyes to widen. He held his hand out in front of him.

“Hold it!” he commanded.  
The guards immediately stopped, turning to face Glanni. Mr. Steerpike’s composure broke, a bead of sweat rolling down his forehead.  
“Is there a problem, sir?” he asked.  
Glanni didn’t answer, only slowly approaching Robbie. He swiftly pulled off Robbie’s thick-rimmed glasses, his wig following suit, tumbling pathetically to the ground. His face softened, his eyes widening even more. Robbie looked up at Glanni, his eyes frozen with fear, his heart thumping rapidly against his chest.  
“Robert?” Glanni said quietly.  
Robbie breathed uneasily. “Dad.” He said breathlessly.

Glanni seemed completely shocked. He dropped Robbie’s glasses, the clattering sound they made echoing across the yard. “My son…” he said shakily. He placed a hand upon Robbie’s shoulder. “…is it really you?”  
“I-It is, dad. It’s really me.”  
Glanni’s expression almost seemed to light up and, without warning, he pulled Robbie into a tight hug. “It is you! My son, my little Robert. It’s been so long!”  
Robbie tensed up, frozen with confusion. He didn’t know what to do, his arms felt locked in place, unable to reciprocate the hug. “D-Dad? Are you okay?”  
Glanni let go, looking his son in the eyes. “Am I okay? I’m more than okay! I’ve been reunited with my own son!” He slung an arm around Robbie’s shoulders, pointing to his chest. “Everyone! This is my son, Robert!”  
Glanni’s smile vanished. He glared at Mr. Steerpike, his gaze like ice cutting through Mr. Steerpike’s heart. “You were about to execute my boy?”  
“H-He had failed his mission! H-He, I mean, he was…”  
Glanni grabbed Mr. Steerpike’s shirt collar, yanking him close enough that Mr. Steerpike could feel Glanni’s breath against his face. “You listen closely, Steerpike. I don’t want to ever see you or your men lay a hand on my son ever again. You got that? Or else I will make sure that your head is up on that flagpole there.”  
Mr. Steerpike audibly gulped, nodding furiously. Glanni let him go, Mr. Steerpike crashing to the ground.

Robbie was understandably surprised. “Dad, I…I don’t understand. These men were called out here because I failed as a villain. I-I ran away from home! Why are you still happy?”  
Glanni shook his head, a faint smile appearing on his face. “Son, it’s alright. That’s not important right now. What matters is you’re here, that we’ve been reunited. Now come on, we’ve got a lot of catching up to do.”  
Robbie returned his smile, but then stopped as he saw the guards pushing Sportacus forward towards the rifle men. “W-Wait! Don’t hurt him!”  
Glanni glared at the two agents restraining Sportacus. The agents squeaked and let Sportacus go, with him slowly gathering his composure.  
He looked back at Robbie. “Do you know this man?”  
Robbie nodded. “Yes dad, he’s, uh, my…henchman.”  
Glanni stared at Sportacus for moment, then smiled. “I see. Let this man go as well, Steerpike. The same threat applies if you hurt him as well.”  
Steerpike, crawling back to the agents, only nodded in response.

Sportacus made his way over to Robbie and Glanni. Glanni extended his hand out to Sportacus.  
“You must be quite a henchman, if Robert has hired you. I am Glanni Glæpur, greatest villain and most nefarious of poisoners. But I imagine you knew that already.” He grinned.  
Sportacus reluctantly took his hand. “A pleasure to meet you.” He said quietly, still looking at Glanni with suspicion.  
Glanni only returned his look with a small smile. “Well, my boy, perhaps you’d like to introduce me to your friendly henchman? I imagine he has a name?”  
Robbie smiled nervously. “O-Of course! This is my henchman…Mani.”  
Glanni’s smile only lowered for a second, before returning to its wide position. “Mani, a fine name. It’s a pleasure to meet you as well.” He grinned, addressing Sportacus.  
He patted Robbie’s back, ushering him back towards the town hall. “Come along then Robert, Mani. We’ve got much to talk about and…” He smiled at Robbie. “…much family bonding time to have.”  
Robbie nodded, walking along with his dad, chatting happily about lost times.  
Sportacus followed slowly behind, his lips still stuck in a frown. Something about this definitely felt wrong, and he wasn’t sure what to do about it.

\--

Trixie and Stephanie had narrowly gotten back into the house, closing the door quietly behind them.  
“Hopefully everyone is still asleep.” Trixie whispered.  
Stephanie nodded. “I bet they’re still sleeping. It was a long day yesterday, so they’re still t- “  
They were stopped quickly by the sight of Mayor Meanswell, frozen while making a batch of pancakes and bacon. His eyes were wide in shock, his mouth gaping open.  
“Darn it.” Trixie muttered under her breath.  
“Stephanie, Trixie…were you two out last night?” The Mayor asked.  
“Uncle wait, we can explain…” Stephanie began.  
“What did I tell you both?? It’s too dangerous out there! I can’t believe you went out anyways!”  
“Mayor please, we have something important to tell you. We were able to stop up the agents’ guns. If we take this opportunity, we might be able to- “ Trixie said.  
“Children, please. This needs to stop. Y-You keep putting yourselves in danger, and you just can’t keep doing that! I can’t let you keep doing that!” The Mayor pleaded.  
Stephanie and Trixie went quiet.  
“I just need you to stop doing this. You need to stop messing with the agents. It’s over, children.”  
The two girls looked at the mayor in disbelief.

The mayor breathed heavily, realizing right there that the other three children were standing in the entrance of the kitchen, also looking on in disbelief.  
“So what’re we supposed to do? Just give up then?” Trixie asked.  
The mayor sighed. “N-No, that’s not what I…”  
“But we can’t give up Mr. Mayor!” Ziggy protested. “We have to do this! For Sportacus!”  
The Mayor shook his head. “I understand you’re all upset children, but we must do what we can to stay safe!”  
“But Mr. Mayor, if we just stay put, then there’s no chance things will get any better! We should at least try! It’s like you said, if we stick together, we can handle anything!” Ziggy said.  
Stephanie gave a smile to her uncle. “Please Uncle, can we try? Just this one time? Please?”  
Mayor Meanswell grumbled, looking nervously at the children. After some time, he sighed.  
“Oh, all right. If I can’t stop you children, then I will just have to help however I can. Do all of you have a plan?”

Trixie and Stephanie grinned. “We may just have set up a little something. Now we’re on to phase two. First though, we’ll need more ammo. And some distractions.”

\--

“And that’s how I took out an entire, burgeoning metropolis with only a few grams of cyanide.”  
Robbie nodded, taking another sip from his lemonade. He didn’t even care about how horrific the stories his dad were telling were. He sat there listening with eager enthusiasm.  
Sportacus, in contrast, could feel his stomach churn more with every story Glanni imparted. He found himself unable to even drink the glass of cold water he had gotten.  
That afternoon, in comparison to the last few days, had been fairly relaxed. Glanni and Robbie were spending time catching up on the past few years, Glanni mostly regaling Robbie with stories of his recent schemes and crimes, all over some glasses of lemonade. Well, lemonade for them. Sportacus had requested a glass of water instead, simply claiming his distaste for citrus. (It didn’t seem to draw any suspicion from Glanni, him simply noting that he too disliked citrus at times).

Glanni took a sip from his glass of lemonade, setting it down. “So, my boy, enough about me, I want to hear about you! This is the town you’ve chosen to stay in, I hear? It’s so…so…peaceful! It must be quite a relaxed job.”  
Robbie’s eyebrows rose as he placed his lemonade down. “Well, for the most part. It is a pretty slow moving town. The population is so small and…simple that it’s fairly easy to pull off some schemes. I don’t even need to use anything lethal while I’m here. I’ve been living here for a few years so I feel I know this town pretty well.”  
Glanni gave him a small smile. “Smaller jobs are good to start with. Much easier to trick a smaller group of people. Less questioning at that point. But it seems like things are a bit rocky, aren’t they?”  
Robbie stopped, feeling himself grow nervous. “No, I mean, uh, yes. I mean, there’s been some complications. The town’s hero was causing some issues but once the League…got rid of him, I believe things will go much more smoothly. Plus,” He said, gesturing to Sportacus. “now that I have an assistant, my scheme for this town should go off without a hitch.”  
  
Glanni chuckled, taking another sip of lemonade. “Schemes never do seem to go off without some issue, do they? That’s why the League sends out its agents: to try and mitigate any potential problems. Personally, I’m the type to get the work done by myself. It’s a matter of pride, I believe.” He glanced over at Sportacus. “Though, admittedly, an assistant must make everything a little more relaxed. I never bothered with henchmen, but I could imagine it makes things much more efficient.”  
Sportacus just nodded in response, taking a sip from his water glass, his eyes darting away.  
Glanni raised an eyebrow. “Your henchman isn’t much of a talker, is he?” he said, addressing Robbie.  
Robbie felt sweat starting to bead on his brow. “Well, he, uh, is the type that prefers to let his actions do the, uh, talking. He’s a man of few words.”  
Sportacus nodded in agreement, trying not to make eye contact with Glanni.  
Glanni nodded. “Ah, I see. Well, I like men of action. They get things done. Except my words and my actions are intertwined so my words get things done. I understand that’s not how it works for most people though.” He took another gulp of lemonade. “You know, Robert, how easy it is to manipulate people. They’ll believe what they want to believe.”  
“Heh, I agree.” Robbie said. Sportacus gave him a suspicious look. Robbie cleared his throat and downed the last of his lemonade. “You definitely are the best when it comes to manipulation.”  
Glanni smiled proudly. “It makes me so happy to hear that from you, son.” His eyes trailed over to Sportacus, catching the suspicious look he was giving to Robbie. His eyes lowered. “Robert, would you mind if I spoke with Mani alone? I’d like to get to know him on a more one-on-one basis.”  
Robbie’s gaze shot over to Sportacus. Sportacus looked worried.  
“That…should be fine.” Robbie answered. He tried to give Sportacus a reassuring look, but judging from Sportacus’s still concerned expression, it didn’t work that well. As Glanni and Sportacus walked away, Robbie had to try not to stare at them as they left.

“You know, Mani, I’m very pleased to hear that my son hired an assistant. He could certainly use the help.” Glanni began, his arm wrapped behind Sportacus’s back.  
“Thank you, sir.” Sportacus answered tentatively, feeling himself recoil from Glanni's mere touch.  
Glanni shook his head. “No need for this “sir” nonsense. Just call me Glanni, I don’t mind.” He sighed, his eyes drifting forward. “It really does please me to see Robert finally grow into his true purpose in life. I don’t know if this would shock you, but when he was a young boy, he’d often cower every time I’d try to introduce him to the world of villainy. I was seriously concerned for a while that he’d actually try to reject the family business. Just imagine, a Glæpur that WASN’T a master-class criminal! I shudder at the very thought.”  
“It would be unthinkable.” Sportacus quietly agreed.  
Glanni smiled. “But that is all in the past. I’m beyond happy that my son can finally appreciate the artistry that comes with villainous work. The craftsmanship required to successfully manipulate an entire town into eating from the palm of your hand. The time and dedication needed to complete a several yearlong fraud scheme.” His eyes suddenly grew cold, his expression more sinister. “The power and control that poisoning can give you over others.” His gaze shot towards Sportacus, his lips twisting into a cruel smile. “You must understand that joy, don’t you Mani?”  
Sportacus felt his skin crawl, the cold stare penetrating through his body. What he felt in that moment was akin to what he imagined a mouse must feel when it’s dumped into a snake’s tank. He could feel his stomach churn and his conscience protest as he said, “There’s truly nothing like it, Glanni. It really is an artform on its own.”

Glanni nodded, giving Sportacus a small, sneaky smile. He sighed contently, pulling a small pack of cigarettes from his coat pocket.  
“Then I am truly happy. Robert may have encountered some bumps in the road, but at least he has a great person working for him. I’m sure you’ll take care of him.” He placed a single cigarette between his teeth. He held out the pack to Sportacus.  
“Care for a smoke?” he offered.  
Sportacus held his hand up. “N-No thanks, I don’t smoke.”  
Glanni shrugged. “Suit yourself, these are good ones though.” He closed the pack and stuffed it into his coat pocket. He then dug around his pockets and eventually pulled out a darkly colored, metal lighter. He offered the lighter to Sportacus.  
“Would you mind lighting mine for me?” he asked.  
Sportacus hesitated, before reluctantly taking ahold of the lighter.  
As soon as his skin made contact with the lighter, he could feel every alarm bell in his head go off, the burning and itching sensation immediately apparent. His pain receptors went nuts, sending numerous signals of “this is incredibly painful” and “you need to get this thing as far away from you as possible” to his brain. He felt his heart go into overdrive as he realized what was causing him so much pain.  
“ _Iron. The lighter’s made of IRON._ ” He thought frantically.  
He tried to keep his composure as he leaned in to light Glanni’s cigarette, his shaking hand prolonging the experience. Once the end of the cigarette was glowing a bright orange color, a thin trail of blueish smoke pouring from the end, Sportacus dropped the lighter to the ground, resisting the urge to smash it into pieces right afterwards. He looked at his hand; it was a bright, sickly red color. He could feel the itching sensation spread to the rest of his body.  
Glanni gave him a concerned look. “Why Mani, are you feeling alright?”  
Sportacus faked a smile, trying to hide his hand. “I must’ve, uh, burned my hand on the lighter.”  
Glanni bent down, picking up the lighter. He ushered Sportacus away. “Quickly boy, go and treat your hand. Get it under some cold water before it gets any worse.”  
Sportacus didn’t need Glanni’s permission to run as fast as he casually could towards the nearest restroom. Robbie, seeing Sportacus’s distress, speedily ran after him.

Trembling, Sportacus yanked the faucet’s handle up, starting a fast-flowing stream of ice cold water. He plunged his hand under the cascading stream, sighing in relief at the cool sensation against his burning hand. He was so focused on the feeling of relief, he jumped when the door slammed open. Luckily, it was just Robbie.  
“Sportacus, are you alright??” he asked, frantically.  
Sportacus gave him a weak smile. “I’m okay, your dad’s lighter was just made of iron.”  
“Iron? Really?? Who in the world makes lighters out of IRON nowadays??” Robbie asked, flabbergasted.  
“Obviously, your dad does.” Sportacus said, a hint of bitterness in his voice. He looked up at Robbie. “Robbie, doesn’t any of your dad’s behavior seem a little suspicious?”  
Robbie looked confused. “Suspicious? Like how?”  
“You were telling me all last night about how cold your dad is, how he’s not one to be trifled with. You made him out to be this monster of a human. Yet suddenly he’s acting so sweet and…decent! Isn’t that a little suspicious?”  
Robbie gritted his teeth. “I mean, sort of. But aren’t you the one who usually promotes the idea of people changing over time? Maybe my dad has changed since I last saw him.”  
Sportacus reluctantly nodded. “Yeah, I usually do promote that philosophy. But, I don’t know Robbie. This just doesn’t feel right. He makes me really on edge.” He sighed. “I don’t get how you could be so cordial with him. Talking with him about his crimes made my stomach turn.”  
“True, what he does for his work, it’s pretty awful. But it’s his job! Of course, he’ll talk about it.” Robbie shrugged.  
Sportacus looked at Robbie in disbelief. “How are you able to just dismiss his actions like that?! He’s talking about poisoning people! Killing thousands! With glee!”  
Robbie sighed. “Look Sportacus, I know you clearly don’t trust him, but he’s my dad. I want to trust him.”  
“But WHY, Robbie? Why in the world do you suddenly want to trust this man who yelled at your mother, tried to force you to kill animals, and was overall awful to you for so many years? Why are you being so lenient on him?!”

“I don’t know Sportacus, maybe because he’s actually being kind to me?? He’s actually acting like the dad I always wanted! I don’t care at this point if it’s genuine or not, he’s finally treating me like a son! Someone he actually loves unconditionally!” Robbie spat. He stopped, his body shaking as he continued to look at Sportacus.  
Robbie took a deep breath. “I-I know it doesn’t make any sense. I know that my dad was awful to me. He’s been so awful to so many people. I know that this doesn’t feel right, it doesn’t make sense, but to actually see my dad praising my work, regardless of how successful I was. Being proud of me. I…it still makes me feel happy. And I hate that.” He said, his voice breaking from the creeping sadness.  
Sportacus’s gaze softened. He gently pulled Robbie closer, pulling him into a hug. “I know this is hard, Robbie. But we do have to be careful with him. This sort of 180 switch, it doesn’t make sense.”

Robbie sighed again, gently lifting off Sportacus’s cap and running a hand through his hair. “I know, Sportacus. After so many years of his cold behavior, it’s simply illogical to think he’s suddenly turned over a new leaf. I guess, part of me, wants to think he could be a good person. That he could still be the dad I wanted.” He tilted Sportacus’s head up, looking him in the eyes. “I promise, I’ll be a bit more wary with him. I just hope to get close enough to maybe ask him to get the League to leave town. I imagine he’d be more than willing to do that, if he believes I have good control over LazyTown.”  
Sportacus smiled. “Sounds like a good plan. And…I’m sorry Robbie. I know how much you want to just embrace your father’s current self. I wish you never had to go through all of this. You deserve a better father.”  
Robbie gave him a sad smile. “It’s okay, that’s in the past. I couldn’t magically make him a better dad, believe me I tried. Right now, we can at least focus on having a better tomorrow.”  
The two leaned in and gave each other a loving kiss.

As the two kissed, neither of them noticed the looming figure spying on them by the door, nor the footsteps as said figure slowly turned and walked away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I'm apparently terrible at taking breaks from this fanfic, because I couldn't help myself from posting the next chapter today XD
> 
> This is the one chapter I'm fairly certain I'll come back and edit at some point in the future. Mostly the last dialogue between Robbie and Sportacus, not sure if I'm happy with that part.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed this chapter nonetheless!


	8. A Snake in the Grass

The day passed by smoothly. Robbie, Sportacus, and Glanni spent their time catching up and touring around the town. Glanni seemed relaxed and content, walking by his son and hearing all about Robbie’s exploits. Robbie kept up, talking all about the last few years spent in LazyTown, though keeping a bit more suspicion of his father. Still, he couldn’t help but feel a little elation talking with his dad, watching him listen intently and nod with warm approval.  
“Paper polka dots? Those idiotic townsfolk nearly fell for that??” Glanni asked.  
Robbie chuckled. “Yeah, took them a few hours to even realize they weren’t pasted on. Can’t believe that one nearly worked.”  
Sportacus, meanwhile, was scanning the town as they walked past. The agents had been “kind” enough to give him back his cane, though he found himself needing it a little less than he had earlier. Perhaps because it was less that he was healing faster and more that he was so focused on watching Glanni and observing the town that he was paying less attention to his still-injured body.  
The normally busy park, usually filled with the kids playing games and running about, was so still and quiet. The only sound Sportacus could hear was the wind rustling the chain links of the basketball net. The street corner was filled with idling agents, trying to keep up the appearance of business in front of the icy cold Glanni. The streets themselves were empty, only being trafficked by the hourly patrols marching up and down the desolate roads. It disturbed Sportacus to see the town so abandoned, yet so controlled.   
At one point during their walk, they passed by the mayor’s home. Sportacus looked over, hoping to see Stephanie or the mayor through the window. To his disappointment, however, all the windows had their blinds drawn, though he could see the faint silhouettes of multiple people inside. Were all the kids over at Stephanie’s? He could only hope they weren’t too shaken up by yesterday, that maybe they could find some solace and fun during these odd times.

Glanni paused, looking up towards the sky. “Well now, looks like it’s getting late already. Time really does fly when you’re catching up, doesn’t it son?”  
Robbie nodded. “Sure does, dad!”  
Glanni gave Robbie a one-arm hug. “I bet you both are hungry. I’ll call up the agents and make sure dinner is prepared for us. I hope you both like filets!”  
“Do I??’ Robbie said excitedly, before pausing and turning to Sportacus. “Well, actually Mani here is a vegetarian. Maybe not a filet for him?”  
Glanni’s eyes lowered, and his mouth turned to a sly smile. “Guess a henchman can’t be perfect, huh? Has to have food sensitivities to make up for being so devious? I’ll ask the agents to whip up something appropriate then.” Glanni walked away, dialing up a number on his cell phone.

Robbie walked over to Sportacus. “How are you doing? How’s your legs?”  
Sportacus waved him off. “They’re fine. Are you going to ask your dad about L.O.V.?”  
“I’ll ask him at dinner. No worries, I’ve got this under control.”  
Sportacus nodded. “I trust you, guess I was just getting worried about the kids.”  
Robbie smiled. “I understand. But just think about it, in a few hours, this whole ordeal will be over. We can finally have a night of peace, just you and I.”  
Sportacus warmly smiled. “I’m looking forward to it.”  
“Alright Robert, Mani, dinner is being prepared! Let’s head on back to the town hall.”  
Robbie gave Sportacus a playful wink, before turning and following after Glanni.

By all accounts, the League of Villains had done a spectacular job turning an old meeting room into a formal dining room. A large, immaculate white tablecloth had been carefully spread across the long oak table, the corners draping off perfectly even to each other. The cloth napkins were neatly folded into a floral shape and tucked into crystal wine glasses. Brand new, gold rimmed, china plates sat at each seat, with silver utensils placed next to them. In the center of the table was an elegant arrangement of flowers and crystal, forming a cascading ensemble that reminded Sportacus of an impressionist painting. The room itself seemed to exude warmth and elegance; anyone would be fooled into thinking this room belonged in a fine restaurant, or a fancy dinner party, and not an abandoned boardroom in town hall.

Standing by each door were two armed agents, their eyes trained ahead of them, carrying lower caliber but still powerful handguns. Sportacus didn’t like that the fact the guns were smaller caliber was almost reassuring. He just tried to think about how, in a few hours, he’d most likely never see the agents or their superiors ever again. He was seated in his spot by what he assumed was an agent, though he wasn’t dressed in his combat garb, rather he was suited up in a waiter’s uniform. His napkin was pulled cleanly from the wine glass and folded onto his lap, the waiter then offering him a glass of red wine.  
“No thank you, I don’t drink.” He politely declined.  
Glanni laughed loudly on the other end of the table. “My dear Mani, at some point I must teach you to enjoy the finer things in life. I’ve heard of people being sensitive to foods or not smoking, but I’ve never heard of someone declining a glass of this wine. It’s truly one of the finest one can get their hands on.”  
Sportacus forced a smile. “I would be most happy to learn, Glanni.”  
Glanni gave him a smile back, though this one was a little chilly. He turned to his son, already taking a sip of the red wine. Robbie’s eyebrows raised at the smooth finish, the red liquid leaving his taste buds cheering and dancing at the lovely taste.   
“This is truly the best wine I’ve ever had.” He praised.  
Glanni gave him a knowing look. “Actually, this is pretty mid-tier wine. When you come back home, we can open a bottle of the good stuff. I have this sauvignon blanc you must try, it’s exquisite.”  
Robbie nearly choked on his next sip of wine. “C-Come back? Home?” he managed to utter.  
Glanni seemed surprised. “Why yes! My son, you have much greater potential. You really shouldn’t be wasting your time with such a small town like this. With their hero disposed of, their hopes will fall soon enough. You should come home with me, and I’ll see to it that you’re given a truly glamorous mission. Perhaps at a larger city! How does Mayhem Town sound to you?”  
Robbie looked away sheepishly, carefully placing his wine glass down. “Actually, dad, I kind of wanted to talk to you about this town. How it currently is.”

Glanni took a larger sip of the wine, setting the glass down. “Oh yes? What is it?”  
Robbie could feel his throat seize up. He looked towards Sportacus, who gave him a smile of support. Robbie took a deep breath, breathing out slowly as he finally said, “I’d like you to make the League leave town.”  
Glanni paused. He stared at his son, confused. “And why is that?” he asked, his tone growing more grave.  
Robbie thought for a moment, feeling himself starting to sweat. “Well, you see, I feel that…uh, well…this whole reaction has been a bit overblown. With the hero gone, I was hoping to take back control of the town…” Robbie could see that Glanni wasn’t buying it. He gulped down his fear as he considered his next words. “…it’s like you said earlier, I’d like to get this job done with as little assistance as possible. T-The agents, I feel they complicate matters. It’s a small town, so all of this backup seems unnecessary. This is a quick job and I’d like to finish it on my own terms…if that’s okay.”  
Glanni nodded, mulling over Robbie’s words. Finally, he shrugged. “Son, I fully understand. When I start a scheme, I understand there’s a level of pride involved when it comes to finishing what you start. This may be a small scale town, but it’s obviously a project that’s important to you. I’ll ensure that Mr. Steerpike and his agents clear out, and we’ll leave you and Mani to finish your work here in LazyTown. Once it’s finished, however, make sure you meet with me back home. We can discuss your future plans at that point.”

Robbie breathed a sigh of relief. He could see Sportacus giving him a small nod and smile, trying to hold back his joy at the town finally being safe. All they had to do now was get through dinner and this whole ordeal would be o—

“So, son, how about you tell me about your assistant Mani? And about this town’s…now disposed hero? The reports stated it was a sports elf?”  
Robbie’s joy sunk down. The ringing of the dinner bell told Robbie this would be a more prolonged meal than he thought.

The waiters brought out the beautifully seared filets, their meat pink and tender on the inside, the outside nicely charred with grill marks. Served to the side was a scoop of buttery mashed potatoes and a delectable white sauce made with mushrooms. Also paired with the meal was a tiny saucer dish, on top of which sat a small little pastry decorated with flowers. Robbie’s mouth watered at the delicious looking meal. He looked over to see Sportacus give his thanks to the waiter, who had brought him a fresh salad with chopped apples and walnuts, as well as a glass of ice water.

Luckily for Robbie and Sportacus, the meal was distracting enough to draw Glanni’s attention away from asking more questions, giving Robbie enough time to concoct a decent backstory for Sportacus. Hopefully one that will shut down too many potential questions or holes that Glanni could easily poke in his story. Sportacus noticed Glanni on occasion shooting him peculiar looks, or a rare smile, dripping with false warmth and even a little venom. It made the hairs on the back of Sportacus’s neck stand on end. He instantly felt the need to leave the room, but couldn’t. That’d draw too much attention.  
  
Wiping his mouth, Glanni finally broke the silence. “So, as I asked earlier, how did you meet Mani?”  
Robbie swallowed his last bite of food, trying to calm his nerves. “Well, it’s a bit of a long story…”  
“We have all the time in the world, son. Just let me here every, little, detail.” Glanni said assuredly, his smile steady and…unnerving.  
Robbie nodded reluctantly. “We met by chance. He said he’d just come from a land…far away.”  
“Over the sea?”  
Robbie stopped. “I…guess so? He’s never told me specifically where. He just said he was looking for a villain to work for. So I took up his offer and, well, it’s worked out great! Not much more than that.”  
Glanni nodded slowly. His smile remained present. “Well, I am very pleased to see you’ve found such a…timely assistant. If his work truly speaks for itself, then it must be alright to hold a few personal mysteries, isn’t that right Mani?”  
“I suppose, Glanni.” Sportacus answered quietly. He felt more on edge the more Glanni spoke.

Glanni chuckled to himself, taking another sip from his second glass of wine. “But now for the interesting part! The sports elf, the fallen hero of LazyTown. I will be honest Robert, when I heard that a sports elf had taken residence in such a small town, I knew I had to come out here. So, he must’ve been quite tough little adversary? They are quite strong as a species, after all.”  
Robbie smiled. “Yes, he is quite amazing…” He stopped when he saw his father raise an eyebrow at his statement. He cleared his throat. “…b-but not strong enough to resist the power of the League.”  
Glanni smirked, his expression growing more devious. “Yes, I was told that the agents used my own venom. Glad to hear it was so effective. You know Robert, it took me so many trials to get that poison right. I had to test on, oh, a few dozen of those elves to get it right. Must’ve been a painful ordeal indeed.” He said, snickering to himself.  
Robbie chuckled uneasily, forcing a half smile. His gaze ran to Sportacus. He could feel his nervousness creep back as he saw the horror appear on Sportacus’s face, mixed with a growing anger. He was trying hard to keep his composure, focusing instead on cutting a piece off a large leaf of lettuce.  
 Glanni looked over, his smirk growing. “I bet it would interest you, Robert, that I’ve continued working on more toxins and poisons specifically targeting sports elves. It truly is interesting research.”  
Robbie froze. He nervously chuckled. “I-I don’t think that’s appropriate dinner talk, dad!”  
  
Glanni waved him off. “Nonsense Robert! They’re just sports elves, after all. Not like they’re people.” His ear perked at the scraping sound of Sportacus’s fork scratching against the china dish. Sportacus's hand was shaking slightly as he forced his eyes to keep looking down at the table.  
“I must tell you about this poison I just created, you’ll find it fascinating. I designed it to cause uncontrollable tremors and to randomly lock up the limbs of its victim. I remember this one specific test subject, a young elf maiden. I injected her with the poison and her eyes grew three times their size as she went flailing about in my lab. The weak little thing, she begged for mercy. But, research is research. It was a quick death for her nonetheless.”  
Robbie looked over worriedly. He could see Sportacus gritting his teeth, gripping his fork so hard it threatened to snap in half.   
“Please dad, let’s talk about something else.” Robbie quietly begged.  
Glanni smiled. “Oh, but I haven’t gotten to the best story yet! Only a week or so ago, you wouldn’t believe who I managed to catch for an experiment. The elves’ own hero, the one and only, íþróttaálfurinn.”

Sportacus froze, his eyes widening in shock.   
Robbie’s face drained of color. “Dad…please…”  
“It wasn’t too easy son, but I caught him. Such a special prize, I had to try one of my more…experimental poisons on him. One I had created to slowly shut down each organ one by one, over several hours. Oh, he fought hard. He nearly broke the restraints on my table. But, even one as strong as him couldn’t fight forever. I remember the light draining from his face as he felt his body fail on him.”  
Sportacus leaned further into the table, his body trembling slightly. This only made Glanni smirk more.  
“But the best part? He was begging in his last few moments. Asking for help. Asking…for his son.”  
Sportacus let out an audible, gasping sound. His body shook more.  
Glanni put on his most mocking impression. “Oh, my son! Where is he? Where is my dear son??” He shook his head. “But his son never came for him. He died there, hours later, alone.”  
Sportacus’s whole body froze. Robbie could hear the repressed sounds of whimpering and shuddering.  
Glanni shrugged, shooting a wicked grin right in Sportacus’s direction, Sportacus seeing the mocking smile as he turned his head.  
“At least it was just the life of one sports elf. No one important or to be missed.”

The last statement finally made Sportacus snap.   
He leapt out of his seat, hands out and ready to grab Glanni’s throat, his face twisted in an expression of rage and grief. “YOU MONSTER!” Sportacus screamed, lunging at Glanni.  
Robbie looked on in shock, unable to stop what was going on in front of him.  
Glanni, on the other hand, simply reached into his coat pocket, pulling out a small device that resembled a mini flashlight. With the push of a button, a light on the end of the device glowed.  
Sportacus, pulsating for a moment in the light, dropped to the table like a stone, his body sending dishware and table settings flying off and onto the floor.  
Robbie, finally opening his eyes after the blinding light vanished, could only stare in horror, the blood draining from his face. Sportacus seemed frozen in his one, violent leap, his arms stuck out in front of him, his face frozen in a look of anger and fear. Only his eyes darted up to look at Robbie. Despite Sportacus being unable to move his face, Robbie could feel the pleading thoughts Sportacus was yelling in his own head.

Glanni, meanwhile, only chuckled, pocketing the device and walking over to Sportacus. He leaned over and yanked the hat off his head, revealing his messy blonde curls and pointed ears.   
“That’s the problem with sports elves…” he said with a wicked smirk. He walked over and flicked Sportacus’s shoe. “…they’re such emotional creatures.”

\--

  
“Are the robots ready to go?”  
Pixel nodded, holding up his newly made remote control. “All set and ready to go! These distraction bots will definitely do the trick.”  
Ziggy peered over the trashcans they were all hiding behind, seeing the multitudes of agents that surrounded town hall.   
“I sure hope so, there are a lot of agents out there.” He said worriedly.  
Stephanie gave Ziggy a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry Ziggy, if me and Trixie’s sabotage is effective, we should have little to worry about.”  
Mayor Meanswell looked back to the kids. “Are we ready?”  
Pixel gave him a thumbs up. “Ready!”  
The Mayor nodded. “Ms. Busybody! Dial the number!”  
“Right away!” she said excitedly. Her fingers flew as she typed in the payphone number, the ringing sound reverberated throughout the town. The agents turned to look at the ringing phone, one agent walking over to answer it.  
With the agents distracted, Pixel pushed forward the joystick on his remote. In a second, multiple little robots, decked out with glowing LED lights and mini shields of steel, wheeled out into the open street on their treaded tires. The first few robots opened a hatch on their heads, a mini BB-gun rising from the compartment.

“Fire!” Pixel announced. He pressed a button the remote, the robots whirring to life. The BB-gun began to shoot at the agents, knocking many on the back of the head.  
One agent turned around just a robot shot another BB, hitting him square in the forehead.   
He growled. “It’s those kids again! Destroy the robots, then search the perimeter!”  
The agents took aim, firing upon the robots. A few were destroyed in a few minutes, while others continued to press on, still firing BBs at the agents. The kids, Mayor Meanswell, and Ms. Busybody took cover in the alley, Pixel firing up his protective shield on the remote.  
It didn’t take long for confused gasps and angry yells to erupt from the agents as their guns began to jam.   
“What’s going on??”  
“My gun’s stuck!”  
“We’ve been sabotaged!”  
It only took a few minutes for each agent to be left fiddling with their guns, trying in vain to remove the sticky taffy, melted gummy candy, and gum from their bullet chambers. The town went suddenly quiet, the sounds of gunshots going silent, the only sound being the whir of Pixel’s robots still firing their last BBs into the agents.

“Charge!” the kids cried, sprinting from their hiding spots, armed with their slingshots and bb guns. They fired upon the unarmed agents, the agents dropping their guns as the hard candies and marbles bounced off their hands, leaving red welts along their fingers and arms.  
One captain was hit straight in the eye. As he growled, rubbing his injured eye, he screamed, “Go after them, you morons! We may not be armed, but we still outnumber them nine to one! Attack!”  
The agents charged forward, armed only with their fists and (for a few of them) with batons. The kids continued to fire upon them, aiming towards their heads, a few agents knocked to the ground from a larger marble striking them in the head or eye.  
“Quickly! Scatter!” Trixie yelled. The kids quickly scrambled in other directions, breaking up the huge wall of agents.   
  
“Ms. Busybody! The catapults!” Mayor Meanswell cried.  
Bessie and Milford clambered up the fire escapes onto the rooftops, loading the catapults set up there with cakes and other objects. Pulling their levers, the payloads were shot onto the army of agents. The cakes knocked several agents off their feet, with those not knocked over blinded by the sugary confection. The less fortunate agents were struck by a variety of things Ms. Busybody had dug up from her closet, from suitcases to beach stuff to old cooking supplies.   
“Uh, Ms. Busybody? Is it really a good idea to shoot such heavy things at the agents?” Mayor Meanswell asked her nervously.  
Ms. Busybody panted as she lifted an old mixer onto the basket of the catapult, giving the Mayor an exasperated look.   
“Do you want to save the town or not, Milford?? Sometimes we can’t play nice!” She yelled as she pulled the lever, launching the mixer into the crowd. The agents parted like the waves of the sea as the mixer splattered against the wall into bits of metal and plastic.  
“Oh dear…” Mayor Meanswell muttered to himself uneasily.

Ziggy dodged a couple agents tailing him, ducking underneath a park bench.  
“Get out of there, you little brat.” Snarled an agent.  
Ziggy whimpered in fear, feeling the feet of other agents above him. He wanted to go home, this was getting too intense. At the same time though, the town needed him. He was a hero! He had to brave.  
“No! Go away!” Ziggy shouted, swinging his half-licked lollipop at the agent’s face. The agent stepped back, sputtering and clawing, trying to rip off the sugary confection from his face. Ziggy laughed, taking advantage of the situation to run from the other side of the bench.

On the other side of the park, Stephanie and Trixie were outrunning a large pursuing group of agents. Trixie stopped, facing the agents.  
“Trixie! Don’t stop!” Stephanie cried.  
Trixie grinned. “Come on Pinky! We’ve got this!” She swung at an agent, laying a karate chop at her head. She tumbled to the ground. Trixie chuckled, hopping on top a bench to gain some higher ground.  
Stephanie clambered on top of the retaining wall and gasped as three agents tried to grab her legs. She jumped over their heads, doing a mid-air split, before landing behind them. The agents, as a result, only ran into each other, conking heads as they did. Stephanie smiled as she continued to run, five agents hot in pursuit.   
Trixie simply whistled and stuck out her leg, the agents toppling over themselves like dominoes.  
Stephanie and Trixie stopped, giving each other enthusiastic high-fives. Their victory was cut short, however, as they found themselves surrounded by more agents.  
Taking a fighting stance, Stephanie and Trixie prepared themselves.  
“No problem, right Pinky?” Trixie asked, giving a determined smile.  
Stephanie nodded. “Piece of cake.”  
Before they could fight back, they were interrupted with a, “Out of my way!”  
Stephanie, Trixie, and the agents looked up, seeing Stingy leap a ramp in his car, horn blaring all the way. A few agents scrambled away, while the others were less fortunate and were hit by the falling car.   
Stingy, setting the car into “park”, turned to Stephanie and Trixie, giving an incredulous expression. “Those brutes messed up the undercarriage of MY car!” he said with a knowing laugh.  
Stephanie and Trixie laughed, shaking their heads.   
“Thanks, Stingy.” Stephanie said.  
Stingy set his car back in “drive”, running over the backs of the agents as he took to the streets.

Pixel sat back in the alley, frowning as he watched his robots get destroyed.  
Ziggy ran up, out of breath. “How are we doing??”  
“Well, according to my little scanner, they’re down to…let’s see…about 40 agents. And I have about 5 robots left.”  
“Is that bad?” Ziggy asked.  
Pixel grinned. “Not when you have Step 3 of our plan ready!” He pressed another button on his remote; three copies of his flying drone rose from underneath a sheet. As the hovered higher up into the sky, Pixel pressed another button, signaling the drones to release nets onto the agents. The agents squirmed and flailed as the suddenly found themselves tangled up in heavy, rope nets.  
Pixel and Ziggy laughed.   
“I think we’ve got them on the run Ziggy!” Pixel said happily. He watched as Trixie and Stephanie ran past, the pursuing agents beaned by another one of Ms. Busybody’s cakes. He smiled. “We'll free the town in no time!”

\--

“W-What did you do to him?!”  
Glanni’s gaze returned to his son. He gave him a cruel smile. “Son, this is truly a wonderful gift. What a great way to cap off a reunion party.”  
Robbie looked flabbergasted. “What do you mean?”  
“Oh son, you’re being so modest. You truly know how to make your old man happy. I mean, you bring me a sports elf, nearly gift wrapped! So thoughtful!”  
A wicked glint appeared in his eye as he walked up to Sportacus’s face. He leaned over and ripped off Sportacus’s fake mustache and goatee, a pained grunt escaping Sportacus’s throat.  
“And not just any sports elf either. But the one and only Sportacus!”   
Robbie went pale. “H-How…”  
“Robert, I would think you of all people would know that sports elves are terrible at masking their magic. I knew your “assistant” here was a sports elf the minute I saw him. I was just biding my time.” He grinned as he continued to toy with Sportacus, pinching the tips of his ears, chuckling at the strained cries he could hear trapped in Sportacus’s throat. “I heard you talking in the bathroom, and when you called him Sportacus…well, that truly was the cherry on top of a great day. I get reunited with you, and- ” He suddenly gripped Sportacus’s face, leaning in close to his face with a wicked smile. “- I get a very special new test subject.”  
  


Robbie could feel anger boil within him. “You’re going to use him as a test subject?”  
Glanni stood up, looking at his son. “Of course, my dear Robert. I figured you’d expect that by now. But we can discuss the details on the way home. I’m certain you’re eager to help me this time. I have truly remarkable poisons in the works, that I imagine our _friend_ Sportacus would be more than happy to help test.” He turned back to examine the effects of the stun beam on the sports elf.  
Robbie’s mind was swimming. He could feel the seething rage continue to build, threatening to explode at any moment. He was angry at his father, for daring to hurt and test his work on Sportacus, but he was also angry at himself, for letting down his guard so much that he openly said Sportacus’s real name, thinking no one would hear them. His eyes shot over to a steak knife left unattended on the table. His hands shaking, he carefully picked up the knife, clasping it in his hand. Trembling, he approached his father, whose back was still turned to him. Steeling himself, he gritted his teeth as he said,  
“You will not touch a hair on his head, _father_. You leave him alone!”  
But before Robbie could even begin to swing the knife, his body was suddenly surging with electricity. He screamed, dropping the knife, as he felt himself convulse and utter a string of unintelligible vowels. He dropped to his knees on the floor as he felt the electricity let up. Panting, he slowly lifted his head, his eyes meeting the unamused gaze of his father.  
“Did you really think you’d be able to kill me, Robbie? Even if they hadn’t tased you?” he said, pointing to the agents behind Robbie, their taser guns still smoking from the electricity. “You weren’t even able to kill a rodent as a child, what makes you think you could kill a man? Let alone your own father?”  
  
Robbie, gathering his strength, lunged at Glanni again, shouting as he did. Glanni simply stepped in, grabbing Robbie’s neck, squeezing tightly. Robbie gasped at the sudden pressure on his neck. Glanni tsk’d him, staring him straight in the eyes, his expression a strange mix of sadness, disappointment, and cold anger.  
“Such a shame Robbie, that you’d once again make the wrong choice. You always chose to embrace such weak feelings, rather than become what you were supposed to be. Such a waste of potential.” Glanni sneered.  
Robbie whimpered, his voice strained as he gasped for any amount of air he could get. Tears built up in his eyes.  
“There you go, crying again.” Glanni growled. He sighed and shook his head. “I can’t pretend you’re completely to blame. Perhaps there was a part of me that really hoped you’d found your path, that you were going to become a successful villain, like each Glæpur before us…” The scowl returned to his face. “…but no. I can see you have no chance of being anything like that. You being my son gives me so much shame, you’re an embarrassment to the Glæpur family name.”

Robbie, at this point, couldn’t even utter an audible sound. His vision was starting to tunnel, his own perception of sounds around him starting to fail. His clawing at his father’s hand started to slow and eventually ceased.  
Glanni, sneering, tossed Robbie away, Robbie’s back hitting the wall. Glanni dusted his hands on his jacket, smirking cruelly.  
“At least you were good for something, you helped me get my hands on the great Sportacus.”

Glanni snapped his fingers, and three agents ran forward, saluting and standing at attention.  
“Take the sports elf and load him into the van out back. Make sure no one sees you or him.”  
The agents nodded and lifted the still frozen Sportacus up and out of the room.  
As Glanni prepared to leave, he was stopped by one agent.  
“Sir! The townsfolk are rioting inside! They’ve got our agents on the run! What do we do?”  
“Can’t you fools do anything right?!” Glanni said angrily. Suddenly, his smiled at remembering the passed-out Robbie.  
“Perhaps you will be able to help me some more then, son.”

\--

Two agents reached and grabbed the back of Stingy’s shirt collar, hoisting him into the air and out of his car.  
“Enough with the running us over, you little brat.” The first one growled.  
Stingy flailed and swung, pulling out his slingshot. He quickly aimed, firing a jellybean straight at the agent’s eye. The agent dropped him in a second, clutching his eye and cursing in pain. Before the second agent could do anything, she and the first agent were caught in another net.  
Pixel cheered from his hiding spot, looking on in joy as another cake struck a group of agents, listening to the whooping and hollering from above. He could feel the adrenaline coursing through his veins. They were winning.  
Stephanie and Trixie sprinted by, pursued by more agents. Ziggy ran out and tossed marbles under the agents’ feet, tripping them up and sending them to the ground.

Before Pixel could even press another button, a voice cut through the noise and commotion.

“Everyone please! Stop this instant!”

The agents, the kids, and the adults all turned towards the origin of the sound. Standing at the top of the stairs to town hall was a tall man, decked in a purple coat, a wide-brimmed purple hat, and a wooden cane. He bore a wide grin on his face as he gestured for the townsfolk to come closer. The kids and adults cautiously moved in closer.  
“Who are you?” Ziggy asked.  
“A fantastic question, my little candy-fueled friend!” He said, giving a little bow. “My name is Rikki Rikki, and I represent the Federation of Overlooked Locals. I’ve been sanctioned to help your little town.”  
Stephanie twisted her lip, furrowing her brow. “The Federation of Overlooked Locals?”  
Rikki smiled. “Yes, indeed my curious little friend. The Federation oversees small townships like yours, ensuring peace and tranquility amongst the citizens and keeping away any potential villainous groups.”  
“You’ve been doing a fantastic job.” Stingy said sarcastically.   
Rikki shot Stingy a look, his smile never wavering. “If I may, little boy.” He said, gritting his teeth. He returned to addressing the whole group. “I have completed negotiations with the League of Villains, and have come to tell you that the League have agreed to vacate this town and leave you all to your own devices.”   
He stepped down a few steps, patting Mayor Meanswell on the back. “You are now reinstated once again as the mayor of LazyTown,”  
Mayor Meanswell gasped in excitement, the kids crowding around him and Rikki, cheering and smiling.  
Rikki lifted his arms, gesturing to the whole town. “and you are all free once again to play outside and eat all the fruits and vegetables you wish!” He snapped his fingers, pointing at the agents still crowded on the streets. Immediately they picked themselves up, gathering their sabotaged guns and their wounded companions, making their way back to the large, armored vans parked behind town hall.

Stephanie frowned, looking up at Rikki Rikki. “Okay, but what’s the catch?”  
Rikki looked shocked. “Oh my, there’s no catch little girl! Our organization asks for nothing in return.” He leaned forward and harshly patted Stephanie’s head, ruffling her hair. “We only wish to do what’s best for people.” He said with a Cheshire grin.  
Stephanie swatted his hand away, smoothing her hair back out. Her eyes were caught, for a second, by the cane Rikki was holding. It looked so familiar to her.  
Rikki frowned for a second, before his smile returned. “Well, I’m afraid it’s my time to leave as well. Have to attend to other small towns in other countries. So many people in need, so little time. But, I do have one last present for you lovely, _lovely_ people.” He gestured to the last three remaining agents, standing in a horizontal line, blocking the townies’ view of something. “You see, during our negotiations with the League of Villains, we discovered that your town is short of its hero, is it not?”  
Mayor Meanswell’s face fell. “Yes, sadly we are. Our hero, Sportacus, was killed a few days ago.”  
Rikki tipped his hat down for a second. “Truly, a great loss. My greatest condolences to you and your town.” He said, in a tone that Stephanie could’ve sworn had a little sarcasm in it.  Rikki shook his head. “Well, we at the Federation believe both in preserving the peace, and in restoring justice when necessary. So, I’d like to give you all a little present of, how do you say, catharsis? May I present to you…”

Rikki tapped the cane against the ground, the agents parting away like curtains, revealing the crumpled figure behind them.   
The townsfolk approached slowly, loud gasps of shock and recognition erupting from their little group.  
Robbie laid there, slowly coming to, his head still groggy from the oxygen deprivation. He felt at his neck, feeling the bruises that surely had formed from the attack. His eyes began to unblur, and he realized the entire town was staring at him. At first, he felt confused, until he felt something cold, metallic, and heavy in his pocket. He pulled out the object, discovering the blood stained, silver dagger. His eyes went huge and he jumped back, a couple spare bullets spilling from another pocket and onto the ground.

Rikki grinned, his smile turning sinister, as he announced: “…Sportacus’s murderer!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Boy, a lot has happened in this chapter huh? I hope you all enjoyed the "doozy" chapter. And please let me know if you want me to add any tags to this fic or change the audience rating!
> 
> Again, thank you for reading! Hope you enjoy the next few chapters!


	9. Asking the Right Questions

“Robbie Rotten?!”  
At no point ever in his life had people stating his name stung so much. Robbie looked at the townsfolk, his expression one both begging and horrified.  
“This…this can’t be right!” Pixel said.  
“Yeah, Robbie’s our friend! He wouldn’t do something so horrible!” Trixie protested.  
Robbie, for a second, felt touched to hear how quick the kids were to defend him. A slight smile appeared on his face, which was quickly extinguished by Rikki’s cane slamming down inches from his face. He yelped and fell back.  
“Well my children, I don’t see how it couldn’t be him! According to our documents, Robbie Rotten here is your main villain! And look! All the signs point to him.” Rikki stated.   
He picked up one of the stray bullets off the ground and presented it to the crowd. “Look at these, kids. Bullets, just like the ones from where poor Sportacus was shot.” He walked over to Stephanie and held the bullet up to her face. “Tell me I’m wrong, little girl. Tell me that _these_ aren’t the bullets you saw at the café.”  
Stephanie looked over the bullet, desperately trying to find anything, any little detail that didn’t match what she’d seen. But she couldn’t find anything. She sighed. “It…looks exactly the same.”  
Rikki grinned. “Of course, it looks the same! Because they are the same bullets, found right in his coat pocket.”

Robbie sat up. “K-Kids you know I wouldn’t sh- “  
Robbie was interrupted by Rikki’s cane being swung backwards, striking Robbie right in the chest. He grunted in pain.  
“I wasn’t finished, Robbie. It’s impolite to interrupt people.” Rikki sneered. He picked up the blood-stained dagger. “Perhaps one of the most incriminating pieces of evidence, a dagger stained in Sportacus’s blood! Right in the possession of Robbie Rotten.” He leaned in close, holding the dagger right up to Robbie’s face. “Tell me Mr. Rotten, have you seen this dagger before?”  
“N-No…” Robbie muttered, still clutching his chest.  
Rikki frowned, striking Robbie once again with the cane. Robbie groaned as the strike hit in the same spot as before.   
“Now now, Mr. Rotten. It’s not good to lie like that.” Rikki said demeaningly, wagging his finger in front of Robbie.  
“…y-yes.” Robbie admitted.  
The children and adults gasped in horror.  
“A confession, right in front of you all!” Rikki announced, before turning back to Robbie. He lifted the cane and placed it on top of Robbie’s hand. “But that’s not all, is it Mr. Rotten? Why don’t you tell everyone what else you’re responsible for?”

Robbie only groaned in response.  
Rikki applied some pressure to the cane, beginning to smash Robbie’s hand. “I don’t believe we heard you, Mr. Rotten. Why don’t you speak up?”  
Stephanie stepped forward and pulled Rikki’s sleeve. “Leave him alone! You’re going to break his hand!”  
Rikki stopped. He lifted his cane off Robbie’s hand. “Little girl, I’m only trying to get him to tell you all the truth. After all, the truth sets people free, yes?” he said sweetly. He looked back at Robbie, seeing him curl into a ball. He rolled his eyes. “Very well, since Mr. Rotten won’t tell you, I will. This man here is directly responsible for letting the League invade LazyTown.”  
The kids and adults were shocked.  
“D-Did you actually do that, Robbie?” asked Ziggy.  
Robbie looked up, tears in his eyes. He wanted so badly to tell them it wasn’t his fault, that he had more to explain. Before he began though, he felt the cane press against his sore chest.  
“Oh yes he did, children. Why else would such a large and powerful organization like the League be concerned with making all of you kids be lazy and unhealthy? You know how much Mr. Rotten wanted that, don’t you?” Rikki said.  
“But Robbie’s different now! He’s our friend! He wouldn’t do something like this!” Ziggy protested.

Rikki gave him a look. “You really believed that Robbie was your _friend_?” He let out a peal of laughter, before crouching down to look Ziggy in the eyes. “Robbie here only pretended to be your friend to get close to Sportacus. He wanted you all off your guards so that, when the moment was right, he could kill Sportacus. And all of you would never want to suspect him of such an act. And with your town short of its hero, he called in his connections with the League to finish the job properly.”  
Ziggy shook his head in disbelief. “N-No, no he wouldn’t do that!” he cried.  
Rikki shrugged as he stood up. “Deny it if you please, doesn’t change the facts.” He looked at his pocket watch. “Oh goodness! Look at the time! I must get going, so many other towns to help. Well, it was a pleasure to visit such a…quaint little community. I’ll leave you all to your business then.” He shot Robbie a devious and prideful look before he walked off, the agents following close behind.

As they heard the sound of tires squealing and a car quickly leaving the town, the townsfolk began approaching the crumpled form of Robbie Rotten.  
“Robbie…how could you?” asked the Mayor.  
“W-We trusted you, Robbie!” said Ziggy, on the verge of tears.  
“I can’t believe we called you our friend.” Trixie growled.  
Robbie cowered, his eyes growing wide as dinner plates. “P-Please, everyone, you have to believe me. I-I didn’t kill Sportacus! I didn’t! I couldn’t dream of doing that.”   
The townsfolk didn’t appear to listen, as they continued to approach Robbie, asking scattered questions and making accusations.  
“You said you’d seen the knife before! That is was yours!”  
“I-I did, and it was! But I didn’t kill him!” Robbie stuttered.  
“You were the one who brought the League into town!”  
“I-I didn’t mean to! I never wanted any of this to happen!” Robbie said tearfully. He desperately wanted to tell the townsfolk that Glanni’s entire story, every last bit, was false. But he knew that, at least parts of it, held a seed of truth. He had originally befriended the kids just to get on Sportacus’s good side. He had originally only gotten close to Sportacus to get rid of him. While the rest of Glanni’s story was false, those facts were undeniable. And that fact alone made Robbie shrink back into himself more.

Stephanie was the one to step between the advancing mob and Robbie, outstretching her arms.  
“Everyone, please! Stop!” she cried.  
The townsfolks’ voices quieted to a murmur. Stephanie panted as Robbie let out a whimper.  
She turned and crouched down to Robbie’s level. “May I see the knife?” she asked.  
Robbie hesitantly handed her the blood-stained knife, fearfully wondering if she might proceed to stab him with it.  
Stephanie turned to Pixel. “Pixel, can you run an analysis of the blood?”  
Pixel nodded. “Of course, but the equipment’s back in my room!”  
“Then let’s go. I have a suspicion about this knife. Even if it does belongs to Robbie, this still feels off.” Said Stephanie. She reached behind and extended her hand to Robbie.  
Robbie jumped at her offered hand. A squeak of fear escaped him.  
Stephanie gave him a reassuring, but sad smile. “I’m not going to hurt you. Come on, I want to help you.” She told him quietly.  
Robbie then slowly took her hand, rose to his feet, and followed after the group.

\--

Back at his room, Pixel placed the blood-stained knife underneath a scanner, the machine whirring to life as it started analyzing the metal dagger.   
Most of the group had crowded around Pixel, watching intently as the computer’s loading bar filled. The only exceptions were Robbie, who was sitting in the corner, and Ziggy and Stingy, who were guarding him, a pair of disapproving glares stuck to their faces.  
“Alright, just another minute and we’ll have our results!” announced Pixel.  
A beeping sound announced its completion.  
“Okay, so according to this analysis, the blood on the knife is…pig’s blood??” Pixel said, shocked.  
Stephanie smiled and looked at the group crowded around the monitors. “See? So, Robbie isn’t a murderer! The blood on the knife isn’t Sportacus’s!”  
“Except for the whole “he still has the same bullets” part, Stephanie.” Stingy noted.  
Stephanie’s smile shrunk.   
Stingy sighed. “I just can’t believe you’d do this, Robbie.” He put his hand on Robbie’s leg, Robbie recoiling in pain.  
“Watch it, Stinky, that still hurts!” Robbie hissed, immediately regretting his initial anger. “Sorry for snapping at you.”  
Stephanie rose an eyebrow. “What still hurts?”  
“I was shot there a few days ago. It’s still really sore.” Robbie stated as he gently rubbed his leg.  
Stephanie’s eyes widened. “You were SHOT?”  
“Yeah?” Robbie stated.  
“Then…there were more gunsmen that night!” Stephanie concluded.  
“He could’ve shot himself.” Pixel noted.  
“Is there a way to find that out?”  
Pixel nodded, picking up his scanner. “May I see it, Robbie?”  
Robbie, reluctantly, rolled up his pant leg. He revealed the still tender, reddish wound on his thigh.  
Pixel took the scanner and pressed a button, a light engulfing the wound. The machine whirred and clicked, and various electric sounds emitted from its screen. Pixel’s eyes widened.  
“This wound’s not self-inflicted! You’re right, Stephanie, there were other shooters that night!”  
The group looked in surprise, gathering in front of Robbie.   
“Does that mean, you didn’t kill Sportacus?” Ziggy asked.  
Robbie groaned exasperatedly. “Of course, I didn’t.” He said with a sigh. “Why would I kill someone I love?”

The kids gasped.  
“So…you did love him?” Stephanie asked quietly.  
Robbie smiled sadly. “I do love him, more than anything.”  
Stingy’s ears perked up. “Wait a minute, did I hear you refer to Sportacus in the present tense?”  
“Nerd.” Trixie smirked.  
“I am trying to make a point, thank you.” Stingy frowned. “Anyways, did you?”  
The kids suddenly were filled with hopeful energy as Robbie nodded.  
“S-S-So, that means Sportacus is alive?!” Trixie asked excitedly. The kids and adults excitedly chittered amongst themselves.  
“He’s alive, for now that is.” Robbie confirmed, his eyes taking a sad expression.

The energy died down.  
“What do you mean, “for now”?” asked Ms. Busybody.  
Robbie cringed. “He’s…been captured by the League of Villains.”  
“But Rikki Rikki told us they’d leave the town alone!” Ziggy said, confused.  
Robbie shook his head. “That man wasn’t Rikki Rikki. That man was Glanni Glæpur, a member of the League.”  
The adults gasped while the kids looked on in confusion.  
“D-Do you mean, THE Glanni Glæpur??” Mayor Meanswell asked nervously.  
Robbie nodded. “The one and only. He tricked you all so that I’d take the fall and he’d be able to escape town with Sportacus. He wants to…experiment on him.” Robbie got up. “That’s why I have to go, I’ve got to save him.” Robbie started to walk towards the door.

Stephanie stepped up and grabbed Robbie’s hand. “Hang on, you’re not going alone. I’m coming too.”  
“Pinky, this is way too dangerous. You guys need to stay put, go clean up the town or something.” Robbie said, trying to pull his hand away.  
Stephanie shook her head. “No way, Sportacus is my friend too. If he’s in trouble, I want to do anything I can to help.”  
Trixie walked over. “If Stephanie’s going, then I’m going!”  
Stingy joined her. “Me too!”  
“I’m coming along.” Pixel said.  
“Wait, I’m coming too!” Ziggy said excitedly.  
“It looks like we’re all coming along then.” Ms. Busybody said, joining the group with Milford.  
“After all, if we stick together, we can do anything, and nothing can hurt us.” Stephanie said with a smile.

Robbie sighed exasperatedly, considering his options for a few minutes. Finally, he relented. “Okay, we’ll go save Sportacus _together_. But you guys have to listen up, because this won’t be easy or safe. You’ll have to listen to me.”  
Ziggy piped up. “Wait! If Sportacus was taken by the L.O.V., they left over an hour ago! How are we going to find them or catch up?”  
The group thought for a while.  
“If we go by car, we’ll never catch up.” The Mayor said sadly.  
“Then we need something faster than a car!” Trixie stated.  
Robbie nodded, a determined smile forming on his face.  
“I think I’ve got another option.” He said, pointing towards the sky.  
The kids, realizing what he meant, gasped in excitement.  
Stephanie smiled, sticking her hand into the middle of the circle. “Then let’s do this! Let’s go save Sportacus! For LazyTown!”  
Each of the group members stuck their hands into the middle, Robbie placing his in last. The group cheered and threw their hands up into the air.  
“For LazyTown!”


	10. Nightmares and Escapes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning for: Character death, blood, trauma, violence

“How are you feeling, Sportacus? Perhaps a little less _stiff_?”  
Sportacus groaned, his body feeling tense and sick. He tried to stretch his arms, only to find them fastened close to a cold, metal table. He then tried to move his legs, but similarly they were bound to the table. He blinked, clearing his vision. He squinted at the blinding lights above him, filling the room with a sanitized and unnaturally bright light. He eventually could see that the whole room was made of some sort of metal, and he could hear the hissing and popping of machines somewhere in the room, bursts of steam jetting towards the ceiling. He turned towards the voice and saw Glanni sitting back in an office chair, his leg propped and crossed over his other one, the purple coat hung on the back of said chair. Sportacus tried once again to pull himself free, but it was no use. He was fastened in too tight.  
Glanni, smiling and chuckling to himself, got up and circled Sportacus. “How are you doing? Feeling _comfortable_?” he asked mockingly.  
“Let me go.” Sportacus asked firmly.  
Glanni laughed. “I don’t think so, we’ve got too much fun ahead of us. Besides,” He picked up a small needle, examining it closely. “aren’t you excited to see what I’ve got prepared for you?”  
Sportacus struggled once again with his restraints. He looked over at Glanni, his face frozen in a glare. “You’re a monster.” He growled.  
Glanni quirked an eyebrow up. “I beg your pardon?”  
“You heard me, you killed my father. You’re a monster.” Sportacus fought once again against his restraints. “Just wait until I get free, I’ll…I’ll…”  
“Do what? Kill me? You’re already threatening me, so why not?” Glanni said tauntingly. He bent down beside Sportacus, teasingly tracing his arm with the needle. “I thought that you’re supposed to be the hero. I can talk like that, but that’s because I’m the villain. But you? The hero? Losing your temper? Tsk tsk, not very heroic.”  
Sportacus pulled back from the needle, his face paling at Glanni’s words. He was right, he wasn’t acting like a hero. He was letting his emotions get the better of him, and it was clouding his judgement. He had to get away, and fast. But he wasn’t exactly full of options. The least he could do, in this moment, was get some questions answered.

“So why me? Why are you so excited to have me captured?”  
Glanni paused, putting the needle, now attached to a long IV tube, down on the table. His posture straightened slowly. He turned to Sportacus, giving him a wicked look.  
“Because now that I have you, I can settle an old debt. A little revenge, if you will.”  
Glanni pulled over a large machine and hooked up the tube to one end. He reached into his pocket and grabbed a large test tube filled with blue liquid.  
“Revenge? For what? I’ve never even met you before today.”  
Glanni stopped, putting the test tube back into his pocket. He snapped around, clasping Sportacus’s face in his hand, leaning in close enough that Sportacus could feel his breath against his face.

“Don’t play dumb with me, boy. This isn’t revenge against you specifically. It’s revenge against your meddling father, for what he did so many years ago.” He growled. He dug his nails into Sportacus’s cheeks as he continued. “In my prime, I was untouchable. I commanded the fear of every person who met me, and even those who never did. My name would send shivers down the spines of the collective consciousness, because they knew my name was synonymous with death. Everywhere I’d go, I’d leave a trail of bodies a mile wide, all dead from my poisons. I had control over every living being, every little thing that moved. They all feared me. Until _he_ came along.” He snarled, spitting as he referenced Sportacus’s father.  
“íþróttaálfurinn, the sports elf. I was working on a short, small-time gig. Just a simple poisoning of a public official. Things were going smoothly until  _he_ showed up. I tried to stop him with my poisons, but it did little more than slow him down for a few minutes. He _humiliated me_ in front of everyone and, to add salt to the wound, he threw me in jail.” He dug his nails further into Sportacus’s face, receiving a pained sound from Sportacus. “I ROTTED in that jail for years, and my name was drug through the mud. He made me look like a fool. THAT’s why I’ve devoted myself to creating more poisons, ones that will take your pathetic race and finally bring them beneath me. And, perhaps, inflict him the same pain he inflicted upon me.” He growled, finally letting go of Sportacus’s face as he finished, leaving little crescent shaped cuts on his face.

Glanni stood up, taking the needle in his hands. He tapped the top, ensuring no air bubbles were caught in the tube. Turning over Sportacus’s arm, he jabbed the needle into the nearest vein, covering it with a bandage. Sportacus hissed from the sharp needle, turning to watch Glanni pull out the test tube from his pocket, inserting it into a little receptacle on the machine.  
“So that’s why you want to kill me, to get revenge on my father?” Sportacus asked.  
Glanni smirked. “I don’t want to kill you _yet_ , Sportacus. I want you to **suffer**.” He pressed a button the machine, the machine whirring to life, pumping the blue liquid down the tube and into Sportacus’s arm.  
Sportacus grunted in discomfort at the foreign feeling of the liquid injected into him. “S-So what is this then, if it won’t kill me?”  
Glanni smiled, pacing around Sportacus. “All of my poisons in the past have targeted the organs or more physical aspects of the body. They were designed to be efficient, quick, and most importantly, deadly. Sure, a few took longer to fully effect a victim, but in the end their deaths were from their bodies failing them. I know you elves take quite a lot of pride in your physical prowess. But that’s not my focus today.” He stopped and grinned at him. “No, this little toxin won’t kill you, not on its own anyways. It works on a purely, how shall we say, _psychological_ basis. It won’t kill you, but your own mind may.”  
The blood drained from Sportacus’s face. He could feel himself grow scared; what did he mean by his own mind killing him?  
Glanni sat back in his chair, folding his arms. “I’m most excited for what comes next. I hope you have some fun too, Sportacus.” He laughed wickedly, waiting for the poison to take effect.

\--

Robbie pulled the handbrake as he saw their stop through a clearing in the clouds. He leapt out of the captain’s seat, walking over to the idling group. The kids had long stopped trying to open every door on Sportacus’s airship, especially after Robbie had given them an earful about respecting people’s property and privacy, and had kept themselves busy with some of Robbie’s origami paper.  
“Okay everyone, hang tight here. I’m going out on the balcony to see what the base’s defenses are like.” He said.  
He fished around Sportacus’s closet, pulling out the telescope. His eyes were caught by the sports crystal, the little device beeping and flashing like mad. He wondered for a moment if the crystal would also sound an alarm if Sportacus was in trouble. If that’s why it was going crazy. He tried not to think about that as he pocketed the telescope, approaching the door.  
“Door!” he cried.  
Nothing.  
He rolled his eyes. “Door!” he repeated.  
Still nothing.  
He groaned. “Come on, ship. I need to go observe what the defenses are like around the base. It’s for Sportacus?”  
Finally, the door slid open. Robbie would eventually have to talk to Sportacus about having a secondary option to open the door, one that wasn’t voice sensitive.

Robbie once again braced himself as he tip-toed out onto the balcony. Steadying himself, he pulled out the spyglass and observed the base below. Once he’d seen enough, he headed back inside, the door closing behind him.  
“Okay, it looks like they have pretty extensive security around their outer perimeter. But from what I could tell, none of them are carrying heavy artillery. So, good news, we probably won’t be shot at. Bad news, there are A LOT of them.”  
“I guess rushing through the front door is out the window then?” Trixie asked sarcastically.  
Robbie gave her a look, before shaking his head. “We’ll need to be sneaky about this. I think our best course of action is to have a few of us distract the guards while the rest of us sneak inside.”  
He looked over the motley crew in front of him, tapping his chin as he figured out who would do what.  
“Alright, I want Pixel, Stingy, Stephanie, and Trixie to come with me to infiltrate the base. Mayor Meanswell, Bessie, Ziggy, you three are our distractions.”  
Ziggy paled. “B-But, how are we going to distract them? Won’t they be expecting us?”  
“Ziggy has a point, Robbie. The League is probably expecting us to come after Sportacus, and we don’t have much at our disposal. How are we supposed to distract the agents long enough for you five to get inside?” asked Ms. Busybody.  
Robbie smiled. “It’s not too hard with a little disguise dust.” He pulled out the little baggie from his pocket, peeking in to check its contents. It had just enough for everyone.  
He poured himself a small handful, the children looking in wonder as the dust sent little sparks of magic flying across the ship.  
“It’s like a firework show!” remarked Ziggy.  
Robbie nodded. “Now watch closely, because we don’t have much time. You take the dust, keep your costume in mind, then throw the dust at yourself. Like this.”  
Robbie threw the dust onto himself, his form engulfed in purple light. Once the light faded, the group were amazed to see Robbie dressed exactly like one the agents, decked out in black riot uniform, complete with a (water) gun and the L.O.V. logo stamped on his uniform.

“That’s amazing!” Stephanie gushed.  
“I want some!” said Stingy.  
Robbie gestured the kids to draw close. He poured some of the dust into Trixie, Stingy, Pixel, and Stephanie’s hands. “Now I need you kids to copy my uniform. This is how we’ll sneak in so make sure you get the details correct. No unnecessary alterations or additions.” During that last sentence, he looked Stingy dead in the eye.  
Stingy was offended. “Why are you looking at me?? I wouldn’t make any…unnecessary changes.”  
“Stingy remember, this is for Sportacus! We can’t goof around right now.” Pixel said.  
The kids stood still, trying to keep in mind the image of the agents. All at once, the four tossed their powder onto themselves, being immediately surrounded in magic light. Once it faded, all four of the kids were dressed from head to toe in combat garb.  
“Woah! We look just like the agents!” Pixel said.  
“We’ll blend right in!” exclaimed Stephanie.  
Robbie smiled and nodded. “Perfect, these will work perfectly. Now for you three.”

He approached Ms. Busybody, the Mayor, and Ziggy.  
“Now the tricky part. I need you three to think, what disguises would most distract the agents? And I mean disguises that won’t get you killed in the interim? We’re trying to get everyone out unharmed.” Robbie asked.  
The trio himmed and hawed, debating back and forth with each other over possible disguises and acts. Finally, Ms. Busybody leapt with an idea. She fished a picture out of her purse of a trio of people, all dressed in cowboy wear, standing with their instruments.  
“Everyone I know absolutely adores the Tall Grass Trio. If we were to disguise ourselves as them, we may just be able to distract them long enough for you to get in!”  
Robbie stood silent. He wasn’t sure how to react to such a plan. Even the other kids gave Ms. Busybody looks of disbelief.  
"Are you serious." Robbie asked flatly.  
"What group of overworked people _wouldn't_ enjoy an unexpected appearance by a popular band? We'll just say we were hired by Mr. Steerpike for a party." Ms. Busybody replied.  
Robbie finally threw his hands up. “At this point, anything could work. It may sound stupid, but we’ll try it. It’s your lives on the line.” He poured the last of the dust into the Mayor, Bessie, and Ziggy’s hands. “Here’s your dust. Go crazy.”  
The three threw the dust onto themselves, as they were quickly engulfed in the sparks of light. When they faded, the kids had to struggle not to laugh at the ridiculous ensembles. The Mayor was decked out in overalls, a red plaid shirt, and a large straw hat. Ms. Busybody wore a cowhide shirt, cowboy hat, and a leather skirt. And poor Ziggy looked like a figure skater cowboy, decked out in sequins, glitter, and fringe.  
Robbie nearly burst out laughing, before gathering himself back together. “Alright, we’re all ready. I’ll drop the ladder a few feet away from the base. My team will wait for your signals.”

The whole group scaled the ladder down to the grassy plain below. Robbie’s team snuck their way to the eastern wall of the base and watched as Bessie’s team approached the main entrance.  
The agents guarding the doorway raised their rifles. “Halt! Who goes there!”  
Bessie put on her best, fake Texan accent before addressing the agents. “Howdy y’all! We’re the Tall Grass Trio! We were asked to perform for all y’all tonight to celebrate a job well done! Where do we set up?”  
The second agent elbowed his partner, a smile formed on his face. “No way! This is great! I love you guys’ music! H-Hey, will you sing “Hearts on the Fence” tonight? It’s my favorite song.”  
The first agent groaned and stepped in front of his partner. “Hold on just a minute, this is pretty suspicious. How do we know you three are the REAL Tall Grass Trio?”  
The three froze and looked at each other nervously.  
Ziggy finally spoke up. “I mean, how many cowpokes have you met that can rock sequins and hats like us?”  
The Mayor nodded. “Darn tootin’!”  
The agent groaned. “Just let them in, I’m getting annoyed just listening to them.”  
Bessie tipped her hat. “Mighty thanks, partner.”  
The three dipped inside as the agents followed, the one agent skipping around like an excited preteen meeting her favorite boy band.

“I really can’t believe that worked.” Stingy said disgustedly.  
Robbie shook his head. “As much as I can’t believe it either, we don’t have much time. We’ll count our blessings later.”  
Pixel pulled out one of his small devices and set the device to “laser”. Aiming it at the lock, the laser melted the padlock off the side door.  
Yanking the door open, Robbie and the kids snuck inside. They looked around the inner courtyard, sneaking behind various posts and columns supporting a catwalk above them. Trixie pointed out another door, leading to the inside of the base. The group made their way as casually as possible to the door, Robbie pausing for a moment to see the agents starting to gather around Bessie, Milford, and Ziggy. He frowned, worrying about what the agents were planning to do. His worries ceased as he saw them cheering and shouting, yelling their joy over the “hired band” for the party. He sighed in relief, following the kids inside.

Inside the base, Robbie and the kids made their way down the long hallway, their boots clanking against the steel grated floor, flinching ever so often at the random bursts of steam that would jut from the piping along the wall. The air was so hot, Robbie could feel sweat beading on his brow from how muggy and uncomfortable the environment was.  
“How are we going to find Sportacus?” asked Stephanie.  
Robbie stopped. “I…don’t know. But something tells me we’ll be able to find out.”  
At that moment, an agent walked by wheeling a cart covered in medical supplies down another hallway.  
“Bingo.” Pixel noted.  
The kids and Robbie tried to nonchalantly follow the one agent, weaving around twisting corridors and tunnels leading deeper into the base. Every now and then an agent would run past, most often to get to the courtyard to hear the band play.  
At a y-intersect in the hallway, the agent in front of them stopped. She turned around, frowning at Robbie and the kids.  
“Agent, is there any particular reason that you’ve been following me for the last five minutes?”  
Robbie gulped. “Well, yes. We have a very good reason.”  
The agent rolled her eyes. “Well spit it out, I’m a busy woman. Why are you following me?”  
Robbie fumbled around for an answer. “You see…I, uh, am taking these new recruits on a tour…of the base! Yeah, and you just so happen to be on the same path we’re taking. So, no, we’re not technically following you.”  
The agent looked suspiciously at the kids. She sighed and shook her head. “Another town decimated huh? I hate that this is what the kids get saddled with. Still, better than being orphaned I guess.” She waved off Robbie and continued on her way.

Robbie wiped the sweat off his brow. “That was way too close.”  
Trixie tugged on Robbie’s sleeve. “Robbie, what did she mean? About the kids?” she asked, worriedly.  
Robbie’s face paled. He cleared his throat. “Well, the League has this…policy. Most villains are willing to commit mass murder, but most won’t include children in that mass murder. So, of course, each time a town or city is wiped out, there’s a lot of orphaned children.” She steeled himself for the kids’ reactions. “The League will take them in, force them to train to be future agents. Most don’t make it through training camp.”  
Pixel looked at Robbie with a horrified look. “H-How can they get away with that?! That’s awful!”  
Robbie shook his head. “It’s why they’re the bad guys, they don’t care. They’re in to reach their bottom line, no matter who gets hurt along the way.” He could feel tears build in his eyes, before he wiped them away and shook his head.  
“We need to keep moving.”

Robbie and the kids found they’d lost the agent at the intersection, distracted by their brief conversation.  
“We should split up.” Stephanie suggested.  
Robbie nodded. “Kids, you guys go left. I’ll go right.”  
“Robbie, you can’t face Glanni alone! What if you get hurt?” Trixie protested.  
The kids looked up at Robbie with worried faces.  
Robbie gave them a weak, but reassuring, smile. “I’ll be okay, kids. Remember, we’ve got these.” He said, pointing to the earpieces they all wore. “If anything bad happens, I’ll let you all know.” He ruffled Trixie’s hair. “So, don’t worry, things will turn out okay.”  
“Promise?” they asked.  
Robbie chuckled, holding out his pinky finger. “I pinky promise that I’ll come back okay.”  
Each of the kids hooked their pinkies with Robbie’s, before jetting down the left corridor.  
Robbie took a deep breath, exhaling before running down the other hallway.

\--

For the first few minutes, nothing seemed to happen. Sportacus laid against the metal table, watching the machine occasionally pump another burst of blue liquid into his veins, wincing at the odd feeling each time. He wondered if, at that moment, the poison was doing less damage than he was doing to himself. He had laid there, stewing in his own nerves, for the past few minutes. Yet, nothing happened so far. He had already tried to ask Glanni more questions, but Glanni refused to respond. The only one he had answered thus far was when he asked about Robbie.  
“Oh, I wouldn’t worry about dear Robert. I gave him back to the citizens of LazyTown.”  
Sportacus, for whatever reason, really didn’t like Glanni’s choice of words. What did he mean by “I gave him back”? You can’t give people to people. The thought that Glanni had hurt Robbie or entangled him in a bad situation only made Sportacus more desperate to escape.  
As the minutes passed, however, Sportacus felt his mind grow hazier. He found it harder to handle simple things in the environment, like the bright lights or the sound of the machine’s gears. He blinked, for a second seeing multiple shadowy figures surrounding him. He blinked again, shaking his head. The figures were gone, but he could hear a faint whisper in his ears.  
“What are you saying, G- “ Sportacus began to say, before he looked over. Glanni was fast asleep in his chair, his head drooped forward, his arms crossed. Sportacus looked in confusion. Didn’t he want to see what his toxin would do? How could he fall asleep at a time like this?

Sportacus was about to lay back, until the pink color of another figure caught his eye, coaxing him to sit up.  
Sportacus looked shocked. It was Stephanie. She was standing at his feet, on the other end of the table. Her eyes were watering, huge tears rolling down her face. She was sniffling. Sportacus felt his heart drop when he saw the large, purple welts and red cuts all over her arms and legs.  
“S-Stephanie? What happened??” he asked worriedly.  
Stephanie sobbed. “Help me, Sportacus.”  
Before Sportacus could say another thing, a large man ran up from behind and snatched Stephanie up in his arms. Stephanie screamed, flailing and kicking, looking Sportacus dead in the eyes.  
“Sportacus, please! Save me!” she wailed.  
“Stephanie! Hang on!” Sportacus cried. He fought against his restraints, but somehow they felt even tighter than earlier. He grunted in anger as he continued to pull, but they didn’t budge.  
“Sportacus! Help!” Stephanie cried as she was dragged further away from Sportacus.  
“No! I’m coming Stephanie!” Sportacus shouted. However, the restraints didn’t move, and Sportacus could only watch as Stephanie was taken around the corner.  
“Stephanie!” Sportacus yelled. He pulled again at the restraints. They suddenly vanished, sending Sportacus tumbling forward onto the floor. He regathered his composure, looking in confusion at the table, wondering why his restraints just suddenly broke loose. However, remembering his mission, he pushed those thoughts aside.  
“Stephanie! Where are you??” he cried, running into a cloud of steam. He frantically searched the area where he’d seen the man drag Stephanie, but they were nowhere to be found.

His eyes widened. “Did they…vanish?” he asked himself.  
Another set of cries broke him out of his thoughts.  
“Sportacus! Help us!”  
Sportacus turned and saw the other kids tied up together in another room. He gritted his teeth as he charged forward.  
“Sportacus! The door!” warned Ziggy.  
Sportacus looked up and saw the huge, steel door slowly descending. He dove underneath it, keeping it hoisted on his shoulders. As he held up the door, he reached towards the kids.  
“Sportacus, hurry! The agents are about to turn on the poison gas!” Stingy cried.  
“Hang on kids! I’ve almost got you!” Sportacus said assuredly. He held the door with his one hand, keeping it propped onto his shoulders, his other hand within fingertips reach of the kids. Suddenly, Sportacus heard a clanging sound, and the door became as heavy as thirty such doors. Sportacus gave a pained cry, involuntarily using his other hand to help prop the door up. He grunted and groaned at the weight of the door, growing increasingly too heavy for him to lift.  
“Sportacus! Help us!” Trixie cried.  
“I-I got you! Just need to…keep this…door open…” Sportacus said, his voice strained from his focusing on holding the door. Another clanging sound, the door became heavier. Sportacus’s legs buckled, and he cried out as the door slammed onto his back. Crushed underneath the door, Sportacus looked up at the kids.  
“Sportacus!” the kids cried.  
“P-Please! I’m sorry, I can get to you all.” Sportacus gasped, trying to lift the door once more.  
“Sport- “ the kids began to cry once more, but their pleas were interrupted as the floor opened up beneath them, dropping them down a secret compartment.  
“No! Kids!” Sportacus cried. He pushed up on the door, trying to get enough room for him to make a last-resort leap into the room. With one last burst of effort, Sportacus threw the door up, just barely rolling into the room before the door slammed behind him.  
He dug around the floor, looking for the false floorboard the kids disappeared under. He brushed away the wispy clouds of smoke, right around where the kids had dropped. Nothing. Sportacus could feel his hands begin to shake.  
“K-Kids, I’m sorry.” He said, tears forming in his eyes.

“Son! Where are you??”  
Another voice broke through to Sportacus, this time a voice he hadn’t heard in years.  
“P-Pabbi??” he shouted.  
“Son, please! I need you!”  
Sportacus leapt to his feet. “Pabbi! I’m coming!”  
Sportacus ran through the archway, finding that the door has vanished. Once he’d reached the main hallway, he turned on his heel towards the source of the voice. The blood drained once more from his face from what he saw. He could see his father, looking much like he did when he’d last seen him, strapped to the same metal table Sportacus was strapped to, his face screwed into a pained expression. Above him, Glanni cackled maniacally, taunting him with a purple liquid-filled syringe.  
íþró looked up at Sportacus, his face filled with fear. “Son, I need you!”  
Sportacus glared at Glanni. He gritted his teeth. “I’m coming pabbi!” he cried.  
Sportacus began to run towards his father. He wasn’t far away, he could get there in time to save him. But as Sportacus was running, he found that, somehow, he wasn’t gaining any ground. In fact, the hallway seemed to be getting longer, his father growing farther and farther away.  
“N-No! What kind of trick is this?!” Sportacus said panickily, trying to run faster to compensate.  
“Son! Where are you?” íþró called.  
“Pabbi! I’m coming!” Sportacus yelled, tears running down his face.  
“Please, son! I need you!”  
“Glanni, stop! Don’t you dare hurt my pabbi!” Sportacus growled, still running as fast as he could.  
Glanni sneered, looking at íþró. “Say goodnight, íþróttaálfurinn.”  
As Glanni jabbed Sportacus’s father with the syringe, pushing in the plunger, íþró cried out in pain.  
“NO! PABBI!” screamed Sportacus. He high-tailed it as much as he could, finally starting to get closer. But it was too late. He reached his father’s side, watching the light fade from íþró’s eyes.  
Sportacus burst into tears.  
“P-Pabbi, I’m so sorry…” he wept.  
íþró gasped, his breathing weak and shallow. “I…n-needed you, son.”  
Sportacus clasped his father’s hand. “I-I know, I’m so, so sorry Pabbi. I…I wasn’t fast enough.”  
He watched as íþró took his last breath, his body finally going still.

Sportacus shook his head, feeling himself grow more hysterical every passing second.  
“No…no…this can’t be happening…” he muttered to himself.  
He looked up to see the shadowy figures had appeared again. They towered over him, their eyes empty and soulless.  
_Not enough_.  
Sportacus shook his head. “This isn’t real! This can’t be real!”  
_Not strong enough, not fast enough_.  
Tears continued to roll down his cheeks. “Stop! I-I tried! I wanted to save them!”  
_But you didn’t. You weren’t enough to save them_.  
Sportacus buried his face in his hands. “I’m sorry…”

“Sportacus! Hey, Sports!”  
A familiar voice jarred Sportacus from his mental spiral, the shadows finally going quiet. He looked back at the table. His father was nowhere to be found. He then looked up to see Robbie, standing on the catwalk, leaning over the balcony.  
A relieved smile appeared on Sportacus’s face. “Robbie…” he said breathlessly.  
Robbie looked worried. “Are you okay, Sportacus? What has my dad done to you?”  
Sportacus shook his head. “I-I don’t know, but whatever’s happening, it’s messing with my mind. I don’t know what’s real anymore…”  
Robbie smiled. “Hang in there, Sporty. I’ll be down in a second, then we can – “  
But Robbie was interrupted, in that moment, by a giant net swooping him up, leaving him dangling from the ceiling.  
Sportacus’s eyes went wide, and he felt his heart stop. “R-Robbie!”  
Robbie struggled against the net. “Sports! Get me out of here!”  
The sound of a gun being cocked only increased the need for Sportacus to act quickly.  
Sportacus ran over to the catwalk and saw the ladder missing. Gathering his strength, Sportacus prepared to leap onto the balcony, hoping to climb up in time to free Robbie or take out the shooter.  
Pressing his feet together, Sportacus prepared to spring up. He bent his knees, leaping up into the air. Except he never actually got airborne. Sportacus suddenly felt himself falling over, his legs having locked up and refused to allow him to jump. Sportacus’s face hit the floor. He cringed and lifted his head, seeing Robbie still dangling from the ceiling.  
Tears rolling down his face, Sportacus tried to lift himself back onto his feet, but found that his body felt like it was made of cement. His arms and legs refused to budge, even the smallest movement requiring a large amount of effort on Sportacus’s part.  
“N-No! Not now!” Sportacus hissed, trying to focus himself upright.  
“Sportacus!” Robbie shouted.  
Sportacus looked up at Robbie, his body freezing when he spotted the little red dot trained upon Robbie’s chest.  
“R-Robbie! Watch out! I’ll save you!” Sportacus yelled, grunting with frustration as he tried, and succeeded, in getting himself upright. He tried once again to leap up to the balcony, but found that his feet now refused to cooperate. It was like they were stuck to the floor.  
“P-Please! Please let me save him! I need to save Robbie!” Sportacus pleaded, growing more hysterical as he yanked his own legs.  
“Sportacus!”  
Sportacus looked up. “Robbie! I’m coming!”  
“Sports! Hurry! They – “  
A gunshot reverberated through the room.

Sportacus flinched at the sound. Once he opened his eyes, he felt something warm drip onto his face. He looked up and realized, to his horror, that it was blood. Robbie laid limp, twisted up in the rope net, his arm dangling through a hole in the net. Sportacus was too late.  
He could feel his heart shatter into pieces.  
“N-No…” he said quietly. Sportacus stumbled backwards, falling to the ground. He crawled frantically backwards, his eyes still trained on Robbie’s body. “I…I can’t lose you too…” Sportacus said, his voice breaking as a sob escaped his throat. He clasped his head, burying his head into his knees, as the shadows began to speak again.  
_Not nimble enough_  
_Not fast enough_  
_Not strong enough_  
_Not enough_  
Sportacus wept, his body shaking and trembling. He looked up for a second, seeing Stephanie and the kids standing in front of him.  
“Sportacus, why didn’t you save us?” asked Stephanie.  
Sportacus shuddered. “I-I tried…”  
“Son, I needed you. Why weren’t you there?” asked íþró, appearing behind him.  
Sportacus turned to his father. “I-I’m sorry, father…” he sobbed.  
“Sports, why couldn’t you save me?” asked Robbie.  
Sportacus turned to Robbie, gasping at the sight of the bullet wound in his chest. “I..I-I’m sorry…I failed you…” he cried.

He buried his head back into his knees, unable to look any of his friends and loved ones in the eyes, as he continued to hear their voices.  
_Not nimble enough_  
_Why didn’t you save us?_  
_Not fast enough_  
_I needed you._  
_Not strong enough_  
_Where were you when I needed you?_  
_Not enough_  
_Why couldn’t you save me?_

\--

Glanni was watching with vested interest. He pulled out an old looking notebook, its paper yellowed with age. He turned it to a clean page, uncapping the fountain pen he kept in his coat’s lapel.  
His eyes glanced back up as he heard another pained cry from Sportacus. He watched as Sportacus’s body thrashed about, straining and pulling at the table’s restraints, before once again flopping back down to the table, leaving him panting and trembling.  
Glanni simply smiled and nodded. “Notes: Subject has begun suffering hallucinations at minute 30. Heart rate comparable to top heart rate in fight-or-flight reactions. Subject appears unaware of outside stimuli. All attempts to gain attention of subject during hallucinatory attacks appear unsuccessful.”  
Glanni got up from his seat, walking over to the panicking elf. He chuckled as he saw the elf’s bright blue eyes blown wide open, unfocused and glassy looking. He looked at the restraints.  
“Still holding strong. The titanium was a good investment.” He mumbled to himself.  
“R-Robbie…” Sportacus gasped.  
Glanni raised an eyebrow. “So, your fears have something to do with Robert then?” He laughed wickedly, and tapped Sportacus’s hand with his pen. Sportacus flinched in response. “Sensitive to physical contact. Interesting.” Glanni noted.  
Glanni jumped slightly when Sportacus uttered a loud scream. The scream, however, was short lived, and replaced with the original panting and vague mutterings.  
Glanni dusted his hands on his sweater. “He won’t last too much longer. Perhaps I should unhook him from the IV…” he said thoughtfully. But a twisted thought crossed his mind, one that made him grin coldly. “…no, this is working just fine. Nothing better than the great Sportacus dying by his own mind’s work.” He laughed as he began to return to his seat.

He stopped and turned towards the hallway at the squeaking sound of wheels. He frowned, his frown only letting up once he saw an agent wheeling in a cart of fresh medical supplies.  
“Ah, right on time. I was wondering if these would ever get here.” Glanni said.  
The agent didn’t answer, only keeping their head down.  
Glanni raised an eyebrow once more. He shook off the feeling and instead went examining the tools.  
“Yes, these will do quite nicely. I don’t believe I’ll need these th – “  
Glanni was interrupted by the force of the cart being shoved at him, sending him tumbling backwards and nearly hitting his head against the metal table.  
The agent lifted his head and removed his helmet, revealing himself to be Robbie.  
“Robert?” Glanni asked, genuinely surprised. He gave a small smile. “Of course, I shouldn’t be shocked. I see the townsfolk decided to spare you then?”  
Robbie ignored Glanni, instead dashing to Sportacus’s side. His face went ghostly white as he watched Sportacus shake and tremble, whining and muttering unintelligible phrases.  
“What did you do…” Robbie asked quietly.  
“It doesn’t have to be this way, Robert. You don’t have to do this. You can still come back with me.” Glanni said calmly.  
Robbie’s head snapped around, a furious glare on his face. “I said. What. Did. You. DO. TO. HIM.” He snarled.  
Glanni shrugged, a steady smile still on his face. “Oh, nothing much. Just a little hallucinogen-based poison, potentially heightening his worst fears, convincing him they’re real.”  
Robbie’s eyes widened. He was distracted for a split moment by Sportacus groaning and writhing against the restraints.  
He growled. “Antidote. Now.”  
Glanni sighed. “Son, must you always choose the harder way? Oh well. You want this?” Glanni revealed a small vial of green liquid. Robbie stepped forward to retrieve it, only to have the vial snatched away by Glanni. Glanni backhanded Robbie across the face, sending Robbie sprawling to the ground. As Robbie recovered, the world slowly spinning to a halt, he saw his father standing in front of the entryway to the service gangway.

He was dangling the vial in front of him, giving his son a mocking grin.  
“You’ll have to catch me first.” He sneered, before running into the network of pipes and machinery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is definitely the most intense chapter for this fanfic, so if you made it through then congratulations! I promise things will start getting better after this chapter. This may be one I go back to. Not sure if the hallucinogen's effects were made a little TOO intense. I did have fun writing it. (may be learning I'm a sadistic writer haha)
> 
> Let me know if you want me to add any additional tags! I'd be more than happy to!
> 
> Thank you for reading! We're on the home stretch! Only a few chapters left!


	11. Thicker Than Blood

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick note, the "/" denote when the events are occurring in Sportacus's mind. I added that in the hopefully avoid more confusion.

Stephanie led the kids down the winding corridor. Hastily they stepped past multiple agents, most making their way to the courtyard, though a few raised a questioning eyebrow at their little group of “agents”.   
As they ran down the hallway, Pixel pressed his headset’s button multiple times.  
“Robbie…come in Robbie…over.” Pixel repeated into the microphone.  
Nothing.  
“Has he found Sportacus yet?” Trixie asked.  
Pixel shook his head. “I’ve tried to get ahold of him five times already. He’s not answering.”  
Stephanie sighed worriedly. “Hopefully that just means he’s still on his way.”  
The kids ran down, ending with meeting a wall and several closed doors.  
“A dead end?!” Stingy said exasperatedly.  
“Then Sportacus must’ve been down the other corridor.” Trixie noted.  
Stephanie bit her lip, looking around the hallway.  
Pixel poked her shoulder, pointing to a sign on the wall.  
“Hey, that might help us out. Look, the main generator is behind that door.”   
“What are you thinking, Pixel?” Stephanie asked.  
“If the generator feeds power to the whole facility, I might be able to hack into it to figure where the energy is being streamed and to what. That might help us find Sportacus and Robbie. Or maybe we could shut off power to the room they’re in.” Pixel explained.  
“We can’t go back the way we came?” Stingy asked.  
Pixel shook his head. “I saw a few agents give us suspicious looks. If we can distract the few not in the courtyard through a few well-placed power outages, we might have an easier time getting back.”  
The other kids nodded. Pixel took out his laser once more, blasting the lock off the door. He twisted the handle to the door, opening it, revealing a darkly lit set of metal stairs. He looked back at Stephanie and Stingy.  
“I need you two to guard the door.” He asked. He then looked at Trixie. “Can you patrol the hallway? Warn Stephanie and Stingy if anyone’s coming?”  
Trixie grinned. “You got it, chief.” She turned and walked down the hallway.

Pixel climbed up the stairs, the entrance flanked by Stingy and Stephanie. He climbed higher into the dark passageway, the stairs ending on a catwalk made of metal grating. His boots clanked against the metal. Pixel’s face twisted at the awful smell in the air, the scent akin to a mix of copper and sulfur. Even though he isn’t exactly a tall kid, Pixel felt the distinctly claustrophobic atmosphere of the service platform. He wondered how anyone managed to work in such a cramped environment.

Suddenly, as if to answer his question, the tunnel opened up to a larger room. Sitting in the middle was a gigantic generator, almost the size of a construction crane. Wires and pipes jutted from the generator and into the wall, pumping power and heat to all parts of the base.  
“This place must need a lot of power to have a generator THAT big.” He mumbled to himself.  
The sight of a large computer panel caught his eyes, displaying multiple screens with a pale blue light. Pixel dashed over to the panel, his fingers twiddling above the touch screens.  
“Okay, simple enough interface. Let’s see what we’ve got here.” He said, scanning the map of the base’s layout.

Meanwhile, Stingy and Stephanie stood in front of the door, keeping their eyes peeled for any incoming agents.  
“I sure hope this works.” Stephanie noted.  
Stingy nodded. “I sure hope so too. I don’t think I have enough marbles left to get us back to the entrance.”  
Stephanie checked her pockets, frowning. “Me neither. Maybe we should – “  
“Hey! What are you two doing here??”

Stephanie and Stingy snapped around, their faces going white at the sight of a captain in front of them, his gun pointed towards the ground.  
Stephanie elbowed Stingy, gesturing him to salute the captain. “Uh, hello sir. We were tasked with…guarding the generator room!”  
The captain looked at them suspiciously. “By whom?”  
Stingy laughed nervously. “Our captain’s new! You probably haven’t heard of him.”  
The captain frowned, furrowing his brow. “Well then, what’s his identification number? He’s about to be written up, he should know that new recruits aren’t allowed in high security areas.”  
“Oh, right! Well…his identification number is…is…” Stingy fumbled.  
Stephanie cleared her throat, sweat building on her forehead. Suddenly, she faked a shocked expression. “Woah, what’s that over there??”  
The captain rolled his eyes. “You really don’t believe I’m that stupid, do you – “  
A loud _clang_ rung through the hallway, with the captain slumping to the ground. Standing behind him was Trixie, holding a folded metal chair.  
Stingy and Stephanie looked both in disbelief and joy.   
“Trixie!” Stephanie cheered.  
“Thank goodness you got here when you did!” Stingy sighed, relieved.  
Trixie gently put the folding chair down. “Sorry guys, there were three agents on their way. I managed to take the other two out, but the captain got past. Glad you both weren’t hurt.”  
The group gave each other a quick hug, before adjusting their helmets, preparing to return to their posts.  
The light fixtures suddenly flickered, causing the three to pause.  
“Pixel! Have you found anything yet?” Stephanie asked.  
Pixel yelled, “I think I’ve got it! I’m about to shut power to one of the rooms. Brace yourselves, there might be a lot of agents passing by soon.”  
The kids pulled out their slingshots, marbles, and water guns. Trixie picked up the metal chair once again.   
“We’re ready, we’ve got this guys.” Trixie smirked.

\--

Robbie sprinted into the maze of pipes and wires, dodging jets of smoke and steam as he pursued his father. Glanni pulled down a pile of spare pipes into the passageway, Robbie stopping just in time to miss being hit by the falling pipes, leaping over the collapsed pile.  
Glanni turned to face his son, waving the vial in front of him.  
“Come on son, surely you can run faster?” he said mockingly.  
Robbie grunted in anger, his hands reaching in front of him at the vial. At that moment, Glanni leapt up, grabbing a pipe overhead, clambering up into the mess of pipes and tubes above.  
“Dad, get down here! Get down and give me that antidote!” Robbie growled.  
His father’s chuckles echoed through the machinery. Robbie slowly crept around the pathways, his eyes darting back and forth from the pipes above him to the walkway. He held his water gun in his hands, held more like a bat than a rifle. The lights above him flickered for a second, the sounds of stampeding agents echoing in his ears. His attention was drawn by the shadow of something moving in the above wires and pipes, but when he turned, nothing was there.   
Suddenly, a shadow cast across the floor drew his attention to the silhouetted figure of his father, surrounded by clouds of steam and lit from behind by one of the maintenance lights installed along the pathways.  
Glanni shook his head. “It doesn’t have to be this way son, we don’t have to fight. I know what you’re going through. You got too intertwined with your mission, you let your emotions get involved. You got attached. I get it, but you must let it go.” He extended his arms in front of him, opening his stance for a hug. “Come to me, Robert. We can forget all of this ever happened. We can start over again together, work together. Be the father-son villain duo the world has been waiting for. All you must do is let go of all of this. Let go of the elf, remember your mission. We could be a family again, son.”  
Robbie stopped, glaring down his father’s silhouette. “You seriously think I’ll join you again after you hurt Sportacus, nearly choked me to death, left me at the mercy of the townsfolk, and then poisoned Sportacus with a hallucinogen?!” he growled. He held up the plastic rifle like a club. “I don’t think so.” He swung at Glanni’s shadowed form, Glanni leaping up and swinging back into the pipes just before the rifle made contact.

Robbie could hear the sound of Glanni “tsk-tsk’ing” him in the rafters, before suddenly being flung to the ground by the impact of a kick to the back of the head. Robbie groaned, feeling the sore spot on his head, trying to quickly collect himself and stand back up.  
“Yet ANOTHER poor choice, Robert. You should know better than anyone that you can’t win against me.” Glanni gloated.  
Robbie got up, cautiously walking around the perimeter of the walkway. His eyes darted around, trying to look for any sight of his father. He got his hint with another swung kick to his chest. He cried out, falling to the floor once more.  
“Face it, Robert! I’ve got the higher ground! You don’t stand a chance!” Glanni said with a wickedly cheery tone.  
Robbie groaned, lifting his head up to once again see that he couldn’t find his father. However, his eyes were drawn to a dial on the wall, labeled “STEAM PRESSURE SWITCH”. Robbie crept along carefully against the wall, his eyes fixed to the pipes above. As he snuck closer, he heard his father continue to speak.  
“Really, when you think about this, it’s all very hilarious! Come on, Robert, you must find it at least a little entertaining how long I was able to keep that elf going, before he finally snapped?”  
“You’re a sick man, Glanni.” Robbie growled, inching closer to the switch.  
“Is that anyway to talk to your father?? Besides, in a way, I’m complimenting the elf. He kept his composure longer than I expected. I didn’t originally plan to pull out the “I killed your father” story. I thought the death of the elf maiden would be enough.”

Robbie paused, his brow furrowed. He was right next to the switch. Silently, he rapidly twisted the dial all the way to the right. A gurgling sound emitted from the pipes above, red hot steam bursting through the loose seams in the pipe. Glanni shrieked, plummeting from the pipes above back onto the catwalk. He hissed as he feverishly brushed his burnt hands against his sweater.  
“What do you mean by, “pulling the “I killed your father” story”??” Robbie asked sternly, prepping his club-gun again.  
Glanni sat himself up, giving a knowing smirk to Robbie. “Come on, son. I thought you’d figure it out by now. I lied, íþróttaálfurinn isn’t dead. At least, _I_ didn’t kill him. As far as I know, he’s still alive.”  
Robbie looked in disbelief. “…What?”  
Glanni smiled and laughed wickedly. “Delicious, isn’t it? Little Sportacus had that outburst…for no reason! Come on, you must admit that’s at least a little funny.”  
Robbie ran towards Glanni with a scream. He swung at Glanni with his gun, missing him. “YOU.” He swung again, Glanni dodged again. “ABSOLUTE.” He swung once more, this time clocking Glanni across the nose. Glanni stumbled back, clutching his nose. “MONSTER.” Robbie hissed.

Glanni glared at Robbie, a twisted smile forming on his face, punctuated by the blood streaming from one of his nostrils. He growled, launching himself at his son. Robbie was pushed back, his head hitting the pipes behind him. Wincing, Robbie held his hand out in front of him, keeping Glanni from grasping at his neck again. He shoved Glanni aside, running and turning to face him again. Robbie kicked Glanni, launching him back further. Glanni grunted, clutching his chest. He chuckled softly to himself.  
“And people tell me _I_ have no sense of humor.” He commented.  
As Robbie charged back towards his father, he skidded to a stop when Glanni pulled out the little vial once more.  
“Might want to be careful, Robert. Don’t want to break this.” He said tauntingly. He got up, backing up away from Robbie and towards an exit. He bolted through the archway, meeting a dead-end platform that hung over a large drop. Steam rose from past the railing that separated the platform from the open drop. Glanni, realizing that he was cornered, turned to see his wrathful son.  
He smirked, ducking as Robbie threw more punches towards his face.  
“Careful Robert, don’t want to tire yourself out.” He said mockingly.  
Robbie roared, grabbing the base of his father’s neck, pushing him against the railing over the precipice. While one hand kept Glanni pressed against the railing, his other hand wrenched against Glanni’s closed fist.  
“Give it to me! Give me the antidote!” Robbie snarled.  
Glanni looked at Robbie disapprovingly. “May I get a “please”, first?” he asked demeaningly.  
Robbie frowned, glaring at his father. He growled. “Fine, may I _please_ have the antidote?”  
Glanni shrugged, handing the vial to Robbie. “Sure, have it. I never said it was the antidote.”  
Robbie paused, the vial half into his hand. “What.” He said angrily.  
Glanni grinned. “I just said I never said that vial was the antidote. It could be, of course. Or it could not be. I’m not telling.”  
“Are you kidding me?” Robbie said in angry disbelief.  
Glanni gave him an innocent look. “I could just make it easier on you, Robert. Just give me the vial back, and you won’t have to worry about which it is.” He grasped the bottom of the vial, pulling it back towards him.  
Robbie pulled the vial back towards him. “You can’t have it back!”  
Glanni gave Robbie an icy grin. “You’re willing to take the chance that this ISN’T the antidote? Potentially make Sportacus’s current state even worse than it already is? Just in some attempt to SAVE him? Not very wise, Robert.”  
Robbie growled, pulling harder on the vial, Glanni still pulling the vial back his direction.

_Snap._

The vial broke in half, spilling green liquid on to both Glanni and Robbie. Robbie jumped back, panting as he saw that the liquid had only gotten on his clothes and cheek. He shut his mouth, brushing the liquid away from his face. He sighed in relief, realizing he hadn’t swallowed any of the it.  
Glanni, on the other hand, had gone pale as a sheet. The liquid had spilled across his face and shoulder, with Robbie seeing that some of the liquid had gotten onto his lip and, most likely, into his mouth. Glanni was gasping, clutching at his chest. He looked at his son pleadingly, stumbling backwards. “Robert…please…” he gasped.  
Robbie, eyes widening, ran towards his father. However, he could only watch as his father passed out, falling backwards off the railing, his body flipping over and off the platform, into the steam-filled abyss.   
“DAD!” Robbie cried out, running to the railing. He didn’t see his father, however, only the steam filled drop. Robbie felt conflicting feelings of grief and relief. He looked at the broken vial on the ground, eying the sickly green liquid. Realization flashed in his mind.  
“Glæpur’s venom.” He said to himself quietly. All this time, thinking he was fighting for the antidote, it was just more Glæpur’s venom. Had he injected that into Sportacus, it would’ve surely killed him in his current state. Anger flashed through his mind, before he remembered:  
“ _Sportacus, I need to save him._ ” Robbie thought. He gave one last mournful look towards the railing, before turning and racing back through the maintenance passageways.

As Robbie raced to Sportacus’s side, his heart beating rapidly and his mouth dry from the exertion, he saw that Sportacus was still fighting against his restraints, his head twisting side to side frantically. Robbie’s heart broke at the fearful sounds Sportacus was making, his breathing shallow and nervous. The first thing Robbie did was to rip out the IV tube from Sportacus’s arm, flinching as Sportacus shrunk back from the pain of the needle being removed.

Robbie searched around the table, finding a small red button that he imagined released the restraints. Once he watched Sportacus once again flail about, straining against the restraints’ hold, Robbie reconsidered immediately releasing Sportacus. He needed to calm him down first, else he might hurt himself or others. Robbie extended his hand, pausing as he remembered how sensitive Sportacus was to touch at the moment. He instead leaned in a bit closer, trying to control himself from immediately scooping up Sportacus into his arms after seeing how much Sportacus was shaking.   
“Sportacus? Sportacus please, it’s me. Can you hear me?”

/Sportacus opened his eyes, lifting his head from his knees, still seeing the figures surrounding him. However, they also had stopped, looking up towards the ceiling. Sportacus shuddered, tears still rolling down his face.

_“Sportacus? Please, tell me if you can hear me!”_

“R-Robbie?” Sportacus whimpered.

_“Sportacus? Are you there? Please, can you hear me?”_

“I-I can! Robbie, where are you?” Sportacus yelled.

The shadows and forms of his friends continued to talk.  
“You aren’t enough. You didn’t save us.”

Sportacus shook, clasping his head. “R-Robbie, where are you?? I need your help, please!”

_Sportacus, listen to me. Everything’s going to be okay. I just need you to try and keep calm._

Sportacus looked around. The voices of the figures around him were still so loud.

“I..I’m sorry, Robbie! I didn’t save you! I’m so sorry…”/

“…s-sorry…didn’t save you…” Sportacus uttered in a strained voice.  
Robbie looked at Sportacus with a confused expression. “What are you talking about, Sports? I’m okay, everything’s okay.”

/ _“I’m okay Sports, everything’s okay.”_

Sportacus sobbed. “No! It’s not okay! I didn’t save you, I watched you get shot! I’m so sorry I wasn’t…wasn’t…”/

“…wasn’t enough.”   
Robbie’s face paled, his expression turning to sadness. Cautiously, he gently brushed a little hair from Sportacus’s face. Sportacus shuddered, tears rolling down his face.  
“Sportacus, you are more than enough. You are the best hero LazyTown could ever ask for.” Robbie said reassuringly.   
“I-I failed…everyone…I watched them die…” Sportacus said tearfully.   
“Everyone’s okay, Sportacus. They’re alive. You didn’t fail anyone, you are doing amazingly.” Robbie said with a sad smile. His hand came closer to Sportacus’s shoulder. “I’m just making sure you’re okay, I won’t hurt you.” He cooed. He smoothed Sportacus’s hair, hearing him gasp and shudder, his breathing slowing down and growing relaxed.  
Robbie saw that Sportacus was seemingly calming down. Carefully, he reached over and pressed the release button. With a hiss of steam, the restraints opened.    
As he went back over to Sportacus, Robbie looked on worriedly, seeing that Sportacus’s eyes were still wide open and glassy looking, his pupils darting side to side, as if he was looking at many people or things.  
“We’ve got to get that poison out of your system.” Robbie said quietly, jumping as he heard a little beep from his headset.

“Robbie! Do you read me? Over!” Pixel’s voice rang through the headset.  
Robbie pressed the talk button on the side of the headset. “I’m here, Pixel. Over.”  
“Do you have Sportacus with you? Over.”   
“Yes, I have Sportacus right here. He’s been injected with some sort of hallucinogenic substance. I’ve calmed him down, but he’s still feeling it’s effects. Over.”  
“Well you guys better get out fast! Something fell in the generator, and I think it's jammed up the system! Everything is melting down here! It’s set to explode in a few minutes! Over.”  
Robbie winced. He thought about how his father tipped over a steam-filled precipice, wondering if that was the opening to the generator. “We’ll make our way out. Over.” Robbie looked at Sportacus, looking at him apologetically as he hoisted the elf up onto his feet. “Sportacus, can you walk?”  
Sportacus only nodded, his arm trembling as he held on to Robbie.  
Robbie and Sportacus made their way back down the hallway, Robbie attempting to keep a pace that was both fast yet slow enough for Sportacus. Robbie would freeze every now and then, panicked by the explosions reverberating through the base, or to allow a group of panicking agents to run past. Robbie made his way to the y-shaped intersection, darting away down the hallway they had entered earlier.  
“Robbie!”   
Robbie saw the kids waving him down. They were standing close to the exit, with the sight of multitudes of panicking agents swarming the courtyard visible.   
“Robbie, hurry! This place is about to collapse!” Stephanie called.  
Robbie nodded, lifting Sportacus more onto his shoulder. The two made a mad dash towards the exit. Freedom was right in their reach, before it was snatched away by a gigantic pipe crashing from the ceiling, blocking the pathway. Robbie was knocked backwards by the impact of the falling pipe.  
“Robbie! Sportacus! Are you both okay??” Trixie shouted.  
Catching his breath, his eyes darting around, Robbie answered, “We’re okay!”  
“We’ll try and move the pipe, Robbie!” called Pixel.  
“No, you guys get out of here! We’ll try to find another way out!” Robbie shouted.

“Be careful!” Trixie yelled, before the kids hightailed it into the courtyard. The kids paused only for a second, taking in the chaos of agents screaming and yelling orders to one another, colliding with each other, to get the attention of Ms. Busybody, Mayor Meanswell, and Ziggy.  
“Guys! We’ve got to go!” Stingy called.  
The Mayor tipped his hat to the panicking agents. “Much obliged to play for y’all.” With that, the trio ran and regrouped with the other four.  
“Where’s Robbie and Sportacus??” asked Ziggy.  
“They got trapped behind a pipe! They said they were going to find another way out!” said Stephanie.  
“Oh dear, I hope they’ll be okay!” said Ms. Busybody.   
With one last look at the entrance, the group scrambled out of the smoldering and burning base.

\--

Robbie coughed, feeling the air growing increasingly unbreathable as him and Sportacus stumbled down another hallway. He could feel the heat of the flames behind him as they rushed to find a potential exit. His eyes darted around, taking a step in one direction before his ears caught a popping sound. He jumped back, a live wire swinging across the path he wanted to take. Cursing silently, Robbie continued to look around, quickly running out of options. Suddenly, his eyes were caught on something above him. A small window, just big enough for a person to get through. Robbie thanked his lucky stars.

The only problem was the window wasn’t accessible on their level. They needed to somehow climb up another floor. Robbie looked around, grimacing when he saw the only ladder up being engulfed in flames. His options were already low, and were somehow running lower. He looked nervously over at Sportacus. Sportacus had gone quiet, almost like he had completely removed himself from the situation. Robbie swallowed, his throat dry and tasting of ash. He coughed, backing the two of them against the wall. He dug around his pockets, looking for anything he might be able to use to grapple up to the window. Nothing, not even a yo-yo.

Realizing they had no options, Robbie held Sportacus close, smoothing his hair. He fought back tears, closing his eyes, trying to accept their fates.

/The heat was intense, with even the figures in his mind turning to stare at the approaching flames.

Sportacus blinked, looking fearfully at the blaze. He finally brought himself to stand up, staring at the fire.

_“I’m sorry Sportacus, I think this is the end.”_

Sportacus’s ears perked up at the disembodied sound of Robbie’s voice. For a second, his hallucinations cleared, and he understood quickly how real the danger they were in was.

He looked around, seeing the window above them. He gritted his teeth, taking a deep breath.

“I have to get us up there.”/

Sportacus suddenly pulled Robbie close to his chest, Robbie uttering a shocked grunt at the sudden energy from Sportacus. A determined look in his eyes, Sportacus clasped Robbie close, pressed his feet together, then leaped up to the bottom support of the platform above them. His one free hand grabbed the edge of the platform. He swung his legs, dismounting by flipping up and onto the platform, his feet crashing against the metal surface.   
Robbie opened his eyes, seeing them safe and up above the flames. Another explosion sent his heart into overdrive. He looked up at Sportacus.  
“Sports?” he asked worriedly.  
Sportacus didn’t answer. His attention was focused on the window. He held Robbie closer, smoothing his hair. Picking him up, Sportacus braced himself and went running towards the window, the fire chasing the backs of his heels. Upon impact, the glass shattered, with Sportacus and Robbie flying out the window and plummeting towards the ground below, the fire spreading out across the exterior wall of the base.   
Sportacus tucked into a roll, still holding onto Robbie, his shoulder hitting the grassy ground first. The two tumbled across the field, finally stopping several feet away from the base. Robbie groaned, lifting his head and opening his eyes in time to see the base up in flames, another explosion rocketing across the area, sending bits of brick and metal flying. Robbie flinched, bracing Sportacus against him as a piece of flaming metal bounced against the ground near them.  
Robbie once again lifted his head, his attention turning to Sportacus. His heart sank as he saw Sportacus’s eyes grow hazy and glassy once more, though at least he wasn’t muttering to himself anymore.

“Hey Robbie! Sportacus! Grab on!”  
Robbie was clocked upside the back of his head by something cool and metallic. He frowned, looking up to see that the airship’s ladder had hit him. Robbie grabbed Sportacus, carrying him like a sack of potatoes, and clasped onto a rung of the ladder.  
Robbie climbed up the ladder, getting halfway before nearly losing his grip on Sportacus. Gasping, Robbie managed to adjust Sportacus back onto his shoulder.  
“I need help! Get the airship to roll up the ladder!” Robbie cried out.  
A minute later, the ladder began to lift up into the sky. Robbie, for a second, looked down, immediately regretting his choice. He clung closer to the ladder, only looking for one more second to see the agents pouring out of the base. He even thought he saw Mr. Steerpike stumble out of the base, the back of his suit jacket on fire.    
As the two were lifted up into the sky, Robbie looked over to see Stephanie, Trixie, and Ziggy waiting on the platform, ready to help them.  
Robbie handed Sportacus over to the kids. Once they’d gotten him safely on the platform, Robbie leaped over and grabbed the metal pole, sliding down to the wooden platform bottom.  
“Robbie! What’s going on with Sportacus? Is he alive??” Stephanie asked frantically.  
“He’s alive, Pinky. But we should get him inside quick.” Robbie reassured her.  
Stephanie called for the platform to be lifted up, and the platform rose back up into the ship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well that was intense! Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. There should be two more left and then this story will be complete! Thank you for reading!
> 
> Oh yeah, and if you guys would like to, I have a Tumblr! You can follow me here: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/sportscandycollective
> 
> It's mostly reblogs, but I'll post some original content eventually, maybe even some one-shots I don't post here! Not sure yet, but it'd be much appreciated if you guys wanted to check it out!
> 
> Hope you enjoy the next two chapters!


	12. Deep as a River, Wide as a Sea

/Sportacus found himself in a new room. No longer the metal walled, steam filled room he was in earlier, the room he was in was a simple, gray colored room. The room was illuminated, though not by any known light source. Despite the relative simplicity of the room, Sportacus could feel himself grow weary and exhausted just being there. There was something about how bare the room was that pulled at him, made him feel like a weight was building upon his chest.

He closed his eyes for a second, opening them to find the figures of his friends and family surrounding him once again, backed by the shadowy silhouettes from earlier. He could hear them start to talk once more, but this time Sportacus felt too exhausted to protest or deny anything they were saying. He laid there, allowing their negative and destructive words flow over him like the oncoming tides.

_You aren’t enough_  
You almost didn’t save them  
You didn’t save them, they didn’t need you  
You nearly got him killed  
You aren’t enough/

\--

“What’s wrong with him Robbie? What’s wrong with Sportacus??”  
Robbie carried Sportacus over to his bed, laying him on top of the duvet, lifting him to a sitting position. The kids gathered around worriedly, only to be gestured away by Robbie.  
“Be careful you guys. I need you all to listen closely.” Robbie said quietly.  
The kids, Ms. Busybody, and the Mayor leaned in close.  
Robbie sighed. “Glanni has injected Sportacus with some sort of hallucinogenic poison.”  
“What’s a “halloocinogin”?” asked Ziggy.  
“Dummy, it makes you see weird stuff! Right?” Trixie said.  
Robbie shrugged. “Sort of, it makes you experience sensations that don’t exist. And according to Glanni, this specific poison awakes and strengthens memories or thoughts that correlate with your worst fears.”  
The kids looked shaken up.   
“So…it’s like he’s stuck inside a nightmare?” Ziggy asked nervously.  
Robbie nodded slowly. “In a way, yes.”  
“Well, how do we wake him up then?” Pixel asked.

Robbie looked back to Sportacus. “I don’t know.” He admitted softly.  
The kids and adults looked at each other worriedly, at a loss of what to do.  
Robbie sat with Sportacus, looking at him concernedly. “Sports? Is everything okay?” he asked gently.  
Sportacus didn’t answer.  
“I’m just going to hold your hand, okay?” Silence. Robbie tentatively took Sportacus’s hand in his, earning a slight shiver from Sportacus. Robbie gently stroked his hand. “It’s going to be okay, Sportacus. Please, you need to wake up.”  
Stephanie, biting her lip, decided to take a chance. She walked up and sat next to Sportacus. She looked over to Robbie. “Is it okay if I give him a hug?”  
Robbie thought for a moment. “You may want to give him a warning first. He was pretty jumpy earlier when I tried to touch him.”  
Stephanie nodded. Slowly, she began to extend her hand out to Sportacus. “Sportacus? Are you okay? It’s me, Stephanie. Please, you have to let us know what you’re seeing and hearing.”  
At first, Sportacus didn’t respond. Then, suddenly, he shuddered and sniffed, his eyes watering.  
“I…you all…I wasn’t able to save any of you…” he said quietly.  
The kids looked at each other, confused.   
“What is he talking about? We’re all here! We’re fine!” Stingy stated.  
Robbie looked at Stingy. “Remember, the poison is messing with his perception of reality.”  
Stingy shrunk back, nodding.  
“I…can’t do it…I’m not enough…” Sportacus mumbled.  
Stephanie’s eyes widened. She shook her head furiously, her eyes watering with tears. “That’s not true Sportacus! You are the greatest hero any of us have ever met! You helped us all learn to eat healthy, have fun outside, and most of all to be better friends!” Forgetting Robbie’s instruction, Stephanie grabbed Sportacus into a tight hug, Sportacus gasping in response. “That is beyond amazing, Sportacus. You are definitely more than enough.”

/Sportacus blinked as Stephanie’s words reverberated in the strange, gray space. The form of Stephanie, once sad looking and covered in bruises, faded away. Instead, a vibrant, happy looking Stephanie replaced her, healthy and safe.

_“Sportacus! You are definitely more than enough!”_ she cheered.

Sportacus was left shocked, feeling a little energy start to build within him. He shrunk back, however, at the louder voices of the shadowy figures. /

“Stephanie…” Sportacus muttered.  
Stephanie turned to look at her friends. “Come on! I think it’s helping!”  
The kids, Ms. Busybody, and the Mayor clambered forward.  
“You can fight this, Sportacus! You’re a superhero, nothing can stop you!” Ziggy gushed.  
“Yeah Sportacus! You’re ultra-cool! You’ve got this in the bag!” Pixel cheered.  
“You’re super strong and tough Sportacus! And if you need us, we’ve got your back!” Trixie smiled.  
“You taught us all that friendship is the best thing we could ever have. I bet that says you’re more than enough! I know you’ve got this!” Stingy said affirmedly.

/Slowly, the darker, more disturbing versions of the kids were replaced by brighter, more cheerful versions, ones that spoke uplifting and supportive words rather than the destructive ones he’d been hearing earlier.

Sportacus sat up, seeing the shadowy silhouettes slowly starting to fade. Their words were becoming muddled, still present but much more quiet and fuzzy. /

“Sportacus, dear, you are much stronger than you may think. Don’t let anyone or anything tell you otherwise, not even for a moment. Remember, we all have your back! It will be okay!” Ms. Busybody said warmly.  
“Indeed! Sportacus! You are LazyTown’s hero, and we all believe you’re the best hero we could ask for! We believe in you!” The Mayor cheered.

Robbie smiled, looking back at Sportacus. He could see that something was changing, something he couldn’t put a finger on. But it was almost like the light in Sportacus’s eyes was returning.  
He leaned in and placed a kiss on Sportacus’s cheek.  
“Sports, can you hear all of them? They really love you, and want you to know that you are more than enough. I know that it’s something you’re afraid of, but you can hear that everyone still thinks you’re the greatest. That may not make your fears go away overnight, but we all want to help you. I want to help you. And that’s because…”  
Robbie blushed for a moment, before leaning in close to Sportacus’s ear and whispering:

“…I love you.”

/Within Sportacus’s mind, the shadows were banished, fading into nothingness. Replacing them were the visions of his friends, cheering and laughing, all gathering to give Sportacus a hug.

He stood up, quickly swept up in the huge group hug. Their words still echoed in his mind.

_You’ve got this!_  
It will be okay!  
We believe in you!  
You’re more than enough!  
I love you.

He squinted as a blinding light filled the little gray room./

Sportacus blinked, awareness and life returning to his once glassy eyes. His vision grew less blurry, allowing him to make out the fact that everyone from LazyTown were standing around him, and that they were all in his airship. He still felt out of sorts, but was thankful at least that his mind was cleared. One last shiver ran through his body, and he could feel a slight twinge of nausea in his stomach. He shook his head, trying to get himself back in order.

He looked up. “Y-You’re all here?” he asked.  
The kids and adults cheered. The kids ran up first, tackling Sportacus into a huge hug. Sportacus let out a sound of surprise as he was suddenly being hugged by several very happy kids.  
“Sportacus! You’re alright!” said Ziggy.  
“I’m so glad you’re awake! That was really scary!” Stingy said next.  
“I knew you would be okay!” Trixie said happily.  
“Man I’m so glad you’re alright!” Pixel cheered.  
Sportacus took a moment to register what had happened, before he slowly returned the hug.  
“Group hug!” Mayor Meanswell announced, joining the huge hug, Ms. Busybody joining him shortly after.  
Robbie was the last to join, resulting in a huge, town-wide hug for Sportacus.

Sportacus blinked, his eyes widening with realization. “It was all of you! I heard you, you were saying all these nice things. You helped me.”  
Stephanie looked up. “Of course! We wouldn’t just not help you, Sportacus.”  
“We’re just happy that you’re okay, Sportacus. That was pretty scary for a moment there.” Ms. Busybody noted.  
Sportacus gave a sheepish smile. “Sorry for scaring all of you. I guess…I was just hearing a lot of things. It was hard to ignore it.”  
Stingy nodded. “Well, the important thing is you’re okay, and now we can – “  
“Woah, Sportacus! Your ears!” Ziggy said loudly, earning a dirty look from Robbie.  
Sportacus’s face paled, his ears bending down. He hadn’t realized that he was missing his hat. “I-I can explain…”  
“They’re awesome!” added Ziggy.  
Sportacus’s ears perked up. “W-What?”  
“Yeah! I never knew you were an elf! That means you can do magic, right?”  
Sportacus shrugged sheepishly. “To an extent, yeah…wait, are you all okay with this?”

The kids and adults nodded.  
“Of course we are! This is so cool!” Trixie stated.  
“You’ll have to tell us about elf culture sometime!” The Mayor said.  
“And maybe show us some magic!” Stingy said eagerly.  
Sportacus couldn’t believe how positive their reactions were. He could feel the warm and fuzzy feeling grow within him. He smiled a small smile, a happy tear rolling down his cheek. He looked over to Robbie, who gave him a knowing smile back. Sportacus, suddenly, felt that his whole body was tired. His eyes began to droop shut, his body swaying back and forth. Finally, he fell back into Robbie’s arms.

“Sportacus! Are you okay??” the kids asked worriedly.  
Robbie smiled, hushing the kids. “It’s okay, he just fell asleep. He must be really tired after a day like today.” Robbie gently pulled Sportacus up so his feet didn’t dangle over the end of the bed. Pulling out the duvet slightly, he wrapped it over Sportacus. He laid a kiss upon his forehead before getting up and joining the kids over near the controls of the ship.

\--  
  
When Sportacus awoke, the whole airship was dark. The sun had long gone to bed, parting way for a beautiful night sky dotted with little white stars. He got up, freezing at the sound of crinkling paper. Looking down, he saw several little origami figures on his lap, each of varying quality and type. He picked up a small, slightly sticky paper flower. He smiled, chuckling softly as he looked at the little origami flower. He glanced over and saw that everyone was laid out on the floor, draped in various duvets and blankets (Sportacus didn’t even know he _had_ that many blankets and pillows), fast asleep. Strangely, though, he didn’t see Robbie.

Before he could question where he was, he was startled by Robbie sitting on the side of his bed.   
“Sorry! I just saw you were awake.” Robbie whispered.  
Sportacus smiled. “It’s okay, I was wondering where you were.”  
“I couldn’t sleep, so I was just pacing around the ship. Your ship is surprisingly small after walking around it so many times.” Robbie stated.  
Sportacus chuckled. “Well, it only houses one usually. It works okay for me.”  
“Well if I start coming over more, we’ll have to do something about it. It gets pretty claustrophobic in here at times.” Robbie said, jokingly holding an air of discontent. He gave Sportacus a sly smile, picking up a little red frog origami Stephanie had made. “Did you see these?”  
“I did, I really like them.”  
“The kids wanted to make these for you. Thought they’d help you get better soon. It kept them away from the ship’s controls so I let them go nuts.” Robbie said with a quiet laugh.  
  
Sportacus laughed, looking over the paper frog. His smile faded, though, as a thought crossed his mind. This thought was strengthened after spotting the discoloration on Robbie’s neck.  
His heart broke as he brushed his fingers across Robbie’s neck, Robbie twitching and shying away from the tenderness of his bruises.  
“Did he?” Sportacus began to ask.  
Robbie’s face turned a bit red. He nodded slowly.  
“Robbie…” Sportacus said in a concerned tone.  
“It’s fine, it’s all over anyways.” Robbie said quickly, his eyes darting away.  
“What do you mean?”  
Robbie took in a deep breath, sighing gently. “Glanni…is dead. We were fighting, I was trying to get a vial from him. And…things got bad. He fell over a ledge.” Robbie paused.   
Sportacus cringed, the expression fading as he saw Robbie’s look of mixed grief and bitterness.  
“Are you okay, Robbie?”  
“I know I should be happy that he’s gone, Sportacus. He tried to kill both of us multiple times. And he didn’t care, he loved each moment of it. I know he’s a monster…but, I still watched my dad die today.” Robbie said quietly, a tear rolling down his cheek. He wiped it away. “I just wish I didn’t feel so sad about it. It’d be easier to explain feeling numb over it.”  
Sportacus felt his heart breaking once more. Gently, he wrapped his arms around Robbie, tugging him into a close hug. “It’s okay to feel sad, Robbie. Even with all he did, he was your dad. It’s okay to grieve over his death.”  
Robbie choked back a sob, feeling more tears fall down his face. He turned around, wrapping his arms around Sportacus, returning the tight hug. Robbie sniffed, running his hand up and down Sportacus’s back.  
“I’m glad you understand, Sports.”  
Sportacus nodded, laying a tiny peck on Robbie’s ear.  
  
Robbie chuckled, giving Sportacus a playful look. “Sorry Sporty, my ears aren’t like yours. You’ll have to work harder to make me into a gigglefest.”  
Sportacus grinned flirtatiously. “Oh? You mean, like this?”  
He leaned in and began placing little kisses rapidly along Robbie’s forehead, nose, cheek and jaw. His hand ran through Robbie’s hair.  
Robbie tried to suppress the giddy giggles building up within him, failing badly as he uttered a few quiet giggles and his cheeks flushed a bright red.  
“Ahhh, you’re evil Sports!” he said softly, giggling more wildly.  
Sportacus chuckled and leaned in more, placing more kisses along Robbie’s jawline.  
On the floor, Stingy awoke groggily, looking up to see Robbie and Sportacus wrapped up with each other, loudly giggling and kissing.  
He simply groaned, muttered, “Wish they’d get a room.”, and flopped back into his blanket, covering his head with his pillow.

Sportacus chuckled, placing a few more kisses along Robbie’s cheek, before something in the corner caught his attention.  
Hiding in the corner, staring at him with blank white eyes, was one of the shadows. It said nothing, only staring at Sportacus. Sportacus froze, feeling a shiver run down his spine.  
Robbie slowly pulled back, feeling Sportacus stop moving. His face went white as he saw the fearful expression on Sportacus’s face, his eyes fixed on something in the corner. When Robbie looked over, however, he couldn’t see anything.  
He turned back to Sportacus. He gently stroked his arm. “Sportacus? Is everything okay?”  
Sportacus blinked, giving Robbie an uneasy smile. “Y-Yeah, I’m okay. Just…thought I saw something.”  
Robbie looked at Sportacus, concerned. “Do you need to talk about it?”  
“I’ll be okay…”  
“Sports, please. The best way to get through something is to talk about it.” Robbie said, cringing as he thought about how often he himself disregarded that bit of advice.  
Sportacus sighed, giving Robbie a sad smile. “When I was being injected with the poison, I saw all of you…and my dad.” He shook slightly. “You all were in trouble, begging for my help. I-I tried to get to you all in time. But…” He could feel his heart grow heavy. “…I wasn’t fast enough. It…it all seemed so real. I was afraid I wasn’t fast enough…that I truly did lose you all.”

Robbie looked at Sportacus, tearfully. “Is that what you saw just now?”  
Sportacus shook his head. “No, I didn’t see that. I saw…well, they’re kind of like…shadows. They were telling me things, bad things. How I wasn’t enough to help any of you. I hear them every now and then, even before today.”  
“Sportacus, why didn’t you ever tell anyone?” Robbie said worriedly.  
Sportacus chuckled sadly. “I didn’t want you all to worry about me.”  
Robbie sighed, caressing Sportacus’s cheek. “You shouldn’t worry about that, Sportacus. Everyone here is your friend. It’s like they said earlier, they want to help you.”  
Sportacus nodded. “Sometimes, I guess I don't think about that.” He admitted quietly. His eyes glistened as he sighed. “But…Robbie. I-I did fail someone. And I can’t forget that.”  
Robbie’s eyebrows raised, before realizing who Sportacus was talking about. “Your dad?”  
Sportacus nodded slowly, tears brimming in his eyes. “I wasn’t there for him. I can’t believe I didn’t help him.”  
Robbie gave a sad chuckle, looking at Sportacus reassuringly. “Sportacus, your dad is okay. He’s alive. You didn’t fail him at all.”  
Sportacus looked at Robbie in shock. “B-But, Glanni said he killed him.”  
Robbie shook his head, kissing Sportacus’s cheek. “Glanni lied, Sportacus. He was baiting you at the dinner table. He never captured your father, and most certainly never killed him.”  
Sportacus gave a single laugh, tears rolling down his face. “He’s okay…I can’t believe he’s okay.” His brow furrowed. “I can’t believe I fell for what he was saying.”

“If there was one thing my dad was talented at, it was manipulation. He could fool a person into believing their reflection was another person. He knew exactly what to say to push your buttons. It’s perfectly understandable that it made you upset.” Robbie looked Sportacus in the eyes. “You don’t need to be so hard on yourself, it’s understandable.”  
Sportacus gave a slight smile, leaning forward so his forehead rested against Robbie’s. “Thank you, Robbie.” He whispered.  
Robbie nuzzled Sportacus’s nose, grinning as he did. “Thank _you_ , Sportacus.”  
Sportacus laid a peck on Robbie’s nose, pulling back to look at the origami figures still laying on the bed. He picked up a paper crane, turning it around in his hand. He laughed, smiling warmly.   
“What’s funny?” Robbie asked.  
Sportacus turned back to Robbie. “I guess in a way, we’re both getting a fresh start. You, with a new life. Me, with a new resolution to ask for help when I need it.”  
Robbie chuckled. “I guess those cranes have more magic than we thought.” He suggested jokingly. His eyes widened. “Which reminds me…” He pulled out a small, origami box from his pocket. He handed it to Sportacus.  
“A box! Thank you, Robbie.” Sportacus said happily.  
“Not just a box, pull the flaps.” Robbie said warmly.

Sportacus raised an eyebrow, eying the box. He saw that the sides were actually many folded triangles. He gently pulled on a part of the red paper, the paper opening with the triangles extended out, creating a gap between the two. He repeated on each side of the box, until each side had been unfolded. At first, Sportacus wasn’t sure what he was looking at, until he looked at the creation from above.  
The green paper had unfolded to create the leaves, with the red unfolding to form a beautiful, red rose blossom. Sportacus looked at it in wonder.  
“It’s beautiful, Robbie.” He gasped.  
“I figured, you know, since our first date kind of got ruined,” Robbie said sheepishly. “that we could…maybe…try again? You know, once we get LazyTown all cleaned up and fixed.”  
Sportacus smiled, his expression nearly glowing. “Of course! I’d love that.”  
Robbie blushed, his mouth cocked in a half smile. “Then, I guess it’s a date.”  
Sportacus nodded, yawning.   
  
Robbie started to get up. “Guess I should go back to my sleeping corner. Let you rest.”  
Sportacus grabbed his hand. “Not a chance, you can sleep with me.”  
Robbie looked uneasily at the sleeping townies. “Even with all of them here?”  
Sportacus bit his lip. “Well…”  
Robbie kissed Sportacus’s head. “We’ll put a raincheck on the cuddling. Just for one night.”  
Sportacus looked a little disappointed, but smiled. “Alright, that sounds good.”  
Robbie smiled and, before turning back to his sleeping spot, placed a gentle kiss on Sportacus’s lips. Parting, Robbie went back and snuggled under his sheets, watching for a moment as Sportacus slipped back into the depths of sleep. Yawning, Robbie quickly fell into a deep and restful sleep, a sleep more peaceful than he'd gotten in a week.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter to go! I hope you're enjoying the story. I know this chapter is definitely more fluffy than the last few, but I figured after the intense drama and angst, a more fluffy and sweet ending was needed. 
> 
> Thank you all for reading!


	13. Epilogue

It took the whole town to clean up the mess that the L.O.V. left behind, all working together to sweep up scattered marbles, stray bullet shells, random garbage, and more from the streets. With the use of a scissor lift, the kids and Mayor Meanswell tore down the League’s banners from town hall, to the cheers and hollers of the other citizens. The kids soon discovered that all the fruits and vegetables had actually been locked up in a cellar below town hall, still fresh and vibrant in color. They made short work of redistributing all the confiscated sportscandy back to everyone. After a long week of hard work, the town was restored to exactly how it was before the League of Villains had invaded, with only a few individual spots and homes needing touch ups and polishing. Everything was back to how it was before.

Well, almost all of it. Robbie stood in front of his ruined base, his eyes glancing back and forth from the pipe entrance to the discarded lid still crumpled and fried on the ground. He already knew that the agents had destroyed the entirety of his personal items and his furniture. What he hadn’t realized, until Sportacus and him went back inside,  was that they’d also destroyed the interior of the base. Light fixtures hung lamely from the ceiling, flickering on and off periodically. Walls had been broken open, and his disguise tubes had been completely shattered. Sportacus even discovered that the piping inside the lair was busted open, and that water had been spilling into certain rooms for several days, leaving extensive water damage. Sportacus and Robbie were forced to quickly vacate as an odd smell punctuated the air, a smell later identified by Robbie as mold. By all accounts, the League of Villains had trashed Robbie’s home to the point of being uninhabitable.

Standing outside the old, familiar pipe entrance, Robbie felt the melancholy creep up into his consciousness, tears brimming in his eyes as he thought about his time living in his little underground bunker. How much he'd truly grown to call this place home. Sportacus walked up behind him, wrapping an arm around his back.  
“I’m so sorry, Robbie.” He said quietly.  
Robbie frowned. “I can’t believe they’d just go and destroy everything.”  
“We’ll figure something out, I promise.” Sportacus said reassuringly.  
Robbie sighed, a feeling of weariness present in his voice. “Sportacus, I sure hope you’re right. I mean, I’ve lost everything. I don’t have a home, I’ve lost my job by all accounts. What exactly am I supposed to do in the meantime?”  
Sportacus hugged Robbie. “You can stay with me, for the time being. We’ll find you someplace new to live in a hurry!”  
Robbie rolled his eyes. “Goody, live in a cramped airship for a few months. Up in the air, when I have a fear of heights.” He gave Sportacus a sarcastic look. “I’m looking forward to it.”  
Sportacus laughed. “I can help you get over the fear of heights part. As for the cramped part, you’ll be surprised how fast you get used to it.”

As the two walked away, Robbie sighed.  
“But what am I supposed to do now, now that I’m not a villain?” he asked.  
Sportacus gave him a smile. “Well, it’s your new start at life. What really speaks to you?”  
Robbie thought for a minute, a smile creeping onto his face. “I may not have anything concrete, but I may be able to come up with a few ideas."

_  
5 months later_

  
Robbie whistled a little tune, spraying cleaner onto an old, ratty dishtowel. He took the rag and wiped the large, storefront window in circular motions. He gave an approving nod, seeing his reflection in the clear, pristine glass. He shoved the old rag into his work apron. Looking down, he eyed the beds of petunias and violets that lined the bottom border of the window. Leaning down, he grabbed a small, purple watering can he had made a while ago, carefully watering each of the flowers.  
He gently patted one of the violets. “Warmer days must be ahead, you gals are getting quite thirsty.” He chuckled to himself.  
Checking his wristwatch, he realized that the day was about to start. He walked over, key ring spinning on his finger, to a wood framed glass door, a large “CLOSED” sign hanging in the middle of it. Pulling up a small, brass key he unlocked the door, opening it and entering the little shop. He flipped the “CLOSED” sign to “OPEN”, flicking the light switch on, illuminating his small store. As he walked past the shelves of toys, he adjusted a misaligned toy biplane, turning it to line up with its squadron.

Almost on cue, as soon as he walked behind the counter to take his place behind the register, Ziggy came waltzing in, the little silver bells above the door jingling lightly as he did.  
“Morning Robbie!” he said cheerily.  
Robbie smiled and waved to the little boy. “Good morning, Ziggy.” He reached behind him, pawing around at the large glass jars on display in the shelves behind the counter. “Are you here for your usual? A baggie of taffy and caramels?”  
Ziggy ran up to the counter, placing his hands on its smooth wood surface to lift himself up slightly. He shook his head. “Actually, I was wondering if you had any new toys today? I just got my allowance and would like to switch it up!”  
Robbie raised an eyebrow, giving him a playful look. “Feeling adventurous today, huh? I may just have the thing to suit your fancy.”  
Robbie bent down below the counter, fishing around the drawers, digging past the financial ledgers and side projects he stored inside. Finally, he pulled out a tiny box, painted with images of insect anatomy and leaves. He placed it on the counter. Ziggy peered at it, wonder in his eyes.  
“What is it?” he asked.  
Robbie grinned. “Just watch.”  
Winding the little silver key on the side of the box, he stepped back as the box sprung open. From within, tiny clockwork insects, no bigger than Ziggy's thumb, poured out. The mechanical inchworms squiggled across the counter. Little ladybugs flew up, landing on Ziggy’s nose. Clockwork centipedes, beetles, and walking sticks crawled out and onto the counter. Windup lightning bugs flew up into the air, blinking their lightbulbs different colors. Tiny clockwork bees buzzed along, landing to pollinate the metal flowers that sprung up and unfolded from the box. Most amazing, however, were the mechanical caterpillars, which would inch along and up a vertical surface. Once it’d climbed high enough, a metal shell would fold over the toy, mimicking a cocoon. A minute later, the shell would unfold, revealing a clockwork butterfly, which would flutter about the room, the sun reflecting beams of light through its colored glass wings.  
Ziggy’s eyes twinkled with amazement. “That’s the greatest thing I’ve ever seen!” he gushed.  
Robbie chuckled. “More amazing than the toy I showed you last week?”  
Ziggy thought for a moment, hmming and hawing. “Well, they’re both the greatest! Just in different ways, I guess. But how do you get all the bugs back into the box?”  
Robbie tapped his nose in a knowing gesture. He pressed a small button on the side of the box. In an instant, the insects froze and quickly crawled/leapt/flew back into the box, the box’s top shutting closed.

Ziggy clapped in excitement. “I’d like to buy that, please!”  
Robbie nodded and tapped a few keys on the register. Ziggy fished around his pockets, his face paling at the realization.  
“Oh no! I forgot my money at home.”  
Robbie shrugged. “Well, no money, no toy. Sorry, Ziggy.”  
Ziggy sighed, then thought of an idea. He pulled out a bunch of his candies, piling them onto the counter. As if to add extra incentive, he topped off the pile with a rainbow-spiral pop.  
“Would you be willing to trade the toy for all this yummy, delicious candy?” he asked.  
Robbie smirked. “Are you trying to barter with me, boy? Get me to trade my merchandise for a pile of sweets?”  
Ziggy looked innocently. “…Maybe?”  
Robbie shook his head, laughing and sighing. “You’re lucky you know my weakness. It’s a deal, if you promise to still pay at least half price.”  
Ziggy nodded happily. “Of course!” He took the toy into his hands. “Thanks, Robbie!” he said, dashing out the door.

Robbie waved at Ziggy, then looked at his newly acquired pile of candy. He laughed, thinking of the lecture he knew Sportacus was going to give him once he found out. He unwrapped a small candy, popping it into his mouth. Green apple, a good flavor. Sitting back in his chair, he started work on his origami. He creased the paper, adding some more folds and bends. In a few minutes, he’d folded a paper butterfly. Threading a string through it, he added it to the collection hanging on the ceiling of his shop. It had been an idea of his since he first opened the little toy store. Each day, during his breaks, he'd fold different origami figurines and string them up to the top of the store. What had started as only a few sparse figurines months ago had blossomed into a veritable paper menagerie of animals, vehicles, and flora in a couple of weeks. It helped that on occasion the kids would supply their own paper creations to the shop's display.

The jingle of the bells signaled more customers. Pixel, Stingy, Trixie, and Stephanie piled into the shop, giggling as they said their “good mornings” to Robbie before diving between the aisles, looking at the displays of toys. Robbie got out from behind the counter, pointing out the new additions amongst the shelves. He showed Stingy the new, automated banks that he’d just made, ones that kept track of current monetary balances and automatically subtracted/added when money was removed or added.  
“Thanks Robbie, but I think I’m happy with piggy right now.” Stingy said, his eyes still trained upon the shiny, new banks.  
Robbie shrugged. “Well, maybe I could interest you in the new toy cars?”  
Stingy smiled. “You know me well, lead the way!”  
Robbie showed Trixie the whoopee cushions and upgraded slingshots that he had stocked. Trixie laughed as she watched Robbie demonstrate an apple that, when wet, would expand to five times its original size.  
“I’m so going to put this one on the mayor’s desk!” she grinned.  
“Just don’t get me tied up in your pranks again, and we’re good.” Robbie said with a half-smile.  
He showed Pixel the newest RC toys he had invented, including fully operational construction toys and rocket ships, capable of delivering payloads and multiple stage takeoffs. Pixel handed Robbie a motor he had created, suggesting it as an addition on the next RC toy he invented.  
“It uses energy more efficiently than any motor on the market! You’ll get twice the usage out of a regular AA battery!” Pixel boasted.  
Robbie looked over the motor, nodding. “I’m certain I can use this in something. Thanks, Pixel.”  
And finally, Robbie returned to the counter just as Stephanie plopped a huge stack of origami paper down along with a few dollars. Robbie raised an eyebrow, examining the cheap, plainly colored paper.  
“THIS is what you’re getting?” he asked.  
Stephanie nodded. “I’ve been practicing a lot more! Look!” She pulled a small, paper bunny from her purse. “I think I’ve gotten a lot better!”  
Robbie examined the rabbit, nodding with approval. “Hey, you’re definitely getting really good at this, Pinky.” He leaned down and pulled a stack of origami paper from his drawers, the paper shining and sparkling in the light, refracting rainbows onto the walls and ceiling. “And an expert origami folder like yourself should use the best paper, don’t you think?”  
Stephanie gasped. She looked up at Robbie, who nodded and gestured to the paper. Stephanie swooped up the paper, ducked under the barrier to the counter, and gave Robbie a big hug.  
“Thanks Robbie!” she said cheerily.  
He patted her head gently. “No problem, Stephanie.”

The door bells jingled once more, and Robbie lit up as he saw Sportacus walk in, carrying something under his arm. Robbie’s smile faded for a second as he spotted the still present limp in Sportacus’s gait. It had gotten fairly subtle, most people wouldn’t even notice it. But Robbie noticed it, and at times he’d feel a pang of guilt over it. However, seeing Sportacus’s beaming smile drove him out of his more negative thoughts.  
“Hi Sportacus!” the kids cheered.  
Sportacus waved. “Morning kids!”  
Trixie ran up, holding a new slingshot. “Look at this, Sportacus! I’ll be able to shoot things yards away now with much better accuracy!”  
Stingy ran up next. “That’s nothing compared to MY new toy car! It can go around corners on its own!”  
Pixel was next. “And I’ve got this new RC drone that I can use to deliver little trinkets all across town!”  
Stephanie lifted up the origami paper. “And Robbie showed me this beautiful origami paper!”  
Sportacus looked surprised. “Wow! It looks like you guys have some great new toys! I bet you’re all excited to play with them!”  
“Yeah! Definitely!” the kids said excitedly.  
Pixel propped the door open. “Come on, let’s go try these out! I saw Ziggy has a really cool new toy in the park! He has mechanical butterflies that actually fly!”  
The kids jetted after Pixel, laughing and chittering along the way.

Robbie sighed, giving Sportacus a content smile. “Well, there goes my customer base for the day. Guess I’m done with work.” He said with a laugh.  
Sportacus walked over to the counter, leaning against it with a smile. “As long you’re happy Robbie, that’s all that matters!”  
Robbie rolled his eyes with a sly smile. “I GUESS this is pretty okay. I get to control my hours at the least. And sell the kids lots of candy. And no, I’m not going to start selling sportscandy.”  
Sportacus laughed. “I’ll convince you someday!”  
“When pigs fly, Sportacus.” Robbie said, sticking his tongue out teasingly.  
“Didn’t you make a flying pig wind-up toy?”  
Robbie paused, frowning, then giving a reluctant smile. “Touché.” His eyes were drawn to the pile of paper Sportacus was carrying. “What’s that?”  
“Oh!” said Sportacus. He flopped the paper onto the counter. It was the classified section of the newspaper. “I saw something that would be a perfect addition for your house!”

“I swear Sportacus, if it’s another piece of exercise equipment, you aren’t convincing me.” Robbie said with a joking smile.  
Sportacus shook his head as he flipped through the pages. “Another time! That’s not what I’m talking about.”  
Robbie sighed, waiting patiently. With Sportacus’s help, Robbie had scrounged up enough money he had in his savings and through doing odd jobs to move out of the airship and into a small, one bedroom, one bathroom home on the outskirts of town. The townsfolk had celebrated with a huge house warming party, which included gifting him with much of the essentials like kitchen supplies, bedroom things, and some general furnishings like tables and chairs. But his house was still relatively bare of more decorative items. So, he was welcome to some new additions.  
Sportacus tapped the paper as he found what he was looking for. He placed the ads down, allowing Robbie to look over the page. In bold print, it said: “FOR SALE: STUDIO PIANO – FOR PRICE LISTING PLEASE INQUIRE AT…” then the phone number. Robbie looked up at Sportacus, who was bouncing like a little kid with a toy catalogue.  
“You’re serious?” Robbie asked.  
Sportacus stopped. “Well, you told me that you used to play.”  
Robbie sighed. “I don’t think I can afford this right now, Sportacus. It’s a great idea, but maybe later.”  
Sportacus nodded and shrugged. “I understand. But who knows, maybe that time is a lot sooner than you think.”  
Robbie looked Sportacus in the eyes. “That sounds like you have something planned. What are you doing, Sportacus?”  
Sportacus looked away, his hands crossed behind his back as he walked away from the counter. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”  
“Sportacus…” Robbie said, his voice growing more stern. He hoped that Sportacus wasn't implying what he thought he was implying.  
“Well, you said your birthday is coming up soon.” Sportacus said in a sing-song tone.  
“In eight months!” Robbie said exasperatedly.  
“So? Early birthday present then.”  
Robbie groaned, laughing as he held his head in his hand. “You’re too much, Sports.”  
Sportacus turned and winked. “But you love it.”  
Robbie chuckled, his cheeks turning a shade of pink. “Regrettably, I do.”

Sportacus walked back over the counter, leaning in, and preparing to kiss Robbie.  
They were interrupted by Ziggy opening the door, a wide smile on his face.  
“Hey Robbie! Sportacus! Would you like to – “ He stopped when he saw the position they were in. “Uh, am I interrupting something?”  
Sportacus leaned back and smiled. “Not at all! What’s up, Ziggy?”  
Robbie tried his best to hide his disappointment.  
Ziggy grinned. “I just wanted to know if you guys wanted to play with us! We’re going to start a game of basketball!”  
Sportacus nodded. “We’ll be right out!”  
Ziggy ducked back out the door.  
Sportacus gestured towards the door. “Let’s go, Robbie!”  
Robbie shook his head with a half-smile. “I’ll be out in a minute, just give me a bit.”  
Sportacus nodded, doing his signature move before bolting out the door.

Robbie sighed. Sometimes he wondered how he ended up dating such a hyperactive individual, given his usual lazy attitude. He took the little origami bunny Stephanie had left him and hung it up on the ceiling, adding to the increasingly large collection of origami hanging in his shop. As he stepped down the step ladder, his eyes wandered to an old photo strung up on the wall. His eyes lowered sadly, as he looked at the photo more. It was a photograph of him and his mother, back when Robbie was very small. The two were smiling brightly in the picture, his mom hugging him close, wrinkling Robbie’s school uniform.  
He smiled sadly, placing a finger on the glass of the frame.  
“ _I hope you’re proud of me, mom. I finally found who I wanted to be._ ” He thought to himself.  
“Hey Robbie! Are you coming out?” Stephanie shouted, peeking her head through the open door.  
Robbie turned. “I’m coming!” He threw off his work apron, making his way to the front of the store. As he exited through the shop door, he noticed all the kids standing on the sidewalk, some of them even trying to hide their giggling.  
Robbie raised an eyebrow. “Hey, what are you guys laughing ab – WHOA!” he said, being interrupted by Sportacus lifting him into the air. He flung him upwards, catching the protesting Robbie. He gave him a quick twirl before leaning him back into a dip.  
“I figured I’d make it more fun, since we got interrupted.” Sportacus said cheekily.  
The kids chuckled with each other.  
Robbie blushed a bright red color. He looked at Sportacus. “You really are a lovesick fool.”  
Sportacus leaned in closer. “Maybe. But I’m _your_ lovesick fool.” He then planted a kiss on Robbie’s lips.  
Robbie reciprocated, clasping the side of Sportacus’s face. They moved back to a standing position, keeping the kiss steady.  
The kids responded with a mixture of “awws” and gagging sounds. When Robbie and Sportacus’s lips parted, they turned their attention to the kids. Realizing they'd been caught, the kids ran back towards the park, giggles and laughs streaming from their little group.

Sportacus shook his head, laughing. “Are you ready to meet up with them?”  
Robbie's eyes drifted towards the floor, his expression firm in thought. "Well, I don't know..."  
Sportacus looked confused. "Is there something else you need to do?"  
Robbie shrugged, eyes moving away from Sportacus. "I don't know, I'm trying to remember."  
Sportacus gave a concerned look to Robbie. "If there's anyway I can help, just let me know - "  
Sportacus was then interrupted by Robbie leaning in and giving him an intense kiss, Sportacus gasping in surprise at the suddenness of Robbie's actions. However, it didn't take long for the surprise to wear off, and Sportacus sunk into the kiss, his arms wrapping around above Robbie's shoulders. Robbie's arms wrapped back around Sportacus's back, their kiss sending sparks of giddiness and elation deep into Robbie's chest.  
As their lips parted, Robbie gave a satisfied smile, his face glowing with relaxation and contentment. "NOW I'm ready."  
Sportacus, still caught up in the kiss, gave Robbie a smile back. He gave him one more quick kiss on the lips, before finally pulling away, ready to head towards the park.  
  
The two made their way to the park, hand in hand, running a little faster as they heard the kids call them over. As they gave each other little glances, both Robbie and Sportacus felt more content and happy than they had in a long time, and were excited for what fun today would bring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We've finally reached the end, and to be honest I can't believe this story is finished. Over 45,000 words, taking up 90 pages on my word document, and yet I'm still sad that this story is complete. This was so much fun to write, and I hope you all enjoyed it as well.
> 
> I'm still blown away by all the kind comments that you all have left on each chapter; it really drives me to write more and continue to make stories that, I hope, continue to thrill and excite everyone. This is truly an amazing experience, and thank you all for commenting and reading!
> 
> Real quick, want to post a link to some fanart that Rhay-Robotnik made for this fic's predecessor! It's absolutely gorgeous and I'm still absolutely amazed that someone took the time to draw something this beautiful from what I write. Definitely check it out: http://rhay-robotnik.deviantart.com/art/Salt-In-The-Wound-656483311
> 
> And no worries! I'll definitely return to this timeline with more stories (I've already got one being worked on and another in the planning process). We'll get to see more about Robbie and Sportacus's lives post-L.O.V. takeover in the near future :D
> 
> Thank you once again for reading and I hope you all enjoyed this!
> 
> -Sportscandycollective


End file.
